The Association of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Parent–Child Dyads in Guam: Pacific Islands Cohort on Cardiometabolic Health Study

Tanisha F. Aflague (), Grazyna Badowski, Karen Mae A. Bacalia, Jaelene Renae Manibusan, Regina-Mae Dominguez, Kathryn Wood, Margaret Hattori-Uchima and Rachael T. Leon Guerrero
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Tanisha F. Aflague: College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Grazyna Badowski: College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Karen Mae A. Bacalia: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Jaelene Renae Manibusan: College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Regina-Mae Dominguez: College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Kathryn Wood: School of Health, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Margaret Hattori-Uchima: School of Health, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA
Rachael T. Leon Guerrero: College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam, Mangilao, GU 96923, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: The Western Pacific region, including Guam, has the highest prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS)—a cluster of preventable risk factors. Children with parents with MetS are likely to develop MetS in the future. MetS prevalence in Guam and the impact of MetS on children are unknown. Data from the Pacific Islands Cohort on Cardiometabolic Health (PICCAH) study in Guam were analyzed to determine MetS in adults and MetS risk in children using the International Diabetes Federation criteria and sex- and age-specific waist circumference values for abdominal obesity, respectively. MetS Z-scores were calculated. MetS or MetS risk indicators, including MetS Z-scores, were examined by lifestyle risk factors (parent and child: physical activity and sleep; parent only: sedentary behavior and stress; child only: screen time). The relationship between adult MetS Z-scores and child MetS Z-scores was evaluated using linear-regression analyses. Child–parent risk for MetS was directly correlated in this population. The high prevalence of adult MetS in Guam demonstrates a critical need for interventions involving both parents and children. Expanding the analysis to assess the relationships between other lifestyle factors, like diet, in parent–child dyads is necessary to refine such intervention programs.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome; type 2 diabetes mellitus; Pacific Islanders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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