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Purpose: Only a few studies have explored nationwide trends in lipid profiles among Asian adolescents. We aimed to assess trends in lipid profiles and the associated lifestyle factors among Korean children. Methods: We analyzed data for 2,094 adolescents who were aged 10-18 years and had participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys in 1998 and 2010. Results: During 1998-2010, the prevalence of obesity significantly increased in boys, but no changes were observed in girls. Over this period, there was a small but significant decrease in the mean lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level in boys (1998, 87.5 mg/dL; 2010, 83.6 mg/dL; P=0.019) and mean triglyceride levels in girls (1998, 90.8 mg/dL; 2010, 85.8 mg/dL; P=0.020). There were no significant changes in the prevalence of dyslipidemia in boys, but a modest decrease was noted in girls (1998, 25.1%; 2010, 18.3%; P=0.052). During the study period, the prevalence of breakfast skipping decreased, whereas that of regular exercise increased in both groups. Daily total energy intake did not change between these years. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, breakfast skipping was associated with increased risk of hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia in boys (odds ratio [OR], 5.77) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR, 2.27) in girls. Regular exercise was associated with decreased risk of hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia (OR, 0.40) in boys. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of obesity in boys increased, favorable or constant trends in lipid profiles were observed among Korean adolescents during 1998-2010. Decrease in breakfast skipping and increase in regular exercise may have contributed to these trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as the prevalence of dyslipidemia among Korean adolescents. Methods: We analyzed data for 3,045 adolescents aged 10-18 years (1,622 boys and 1,423 girls) who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2007 to 2010. Results: The mean values of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were 159, 89, 89, and 52 mg/dL, respectively. Plasma cholesterol levels were significantly higher in girls than those in boys (162.1 mg/dL vs. 155.6 mg/dL, P < 0.0001). The 90th percentile values of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDLC were 192, 149, 117 mg/dL for boys, and 195, 147, 119 mg/dL for girls. The 10th percentile value of HDL-C was 38 mg/dL for boys and 40 mg/dL for girls. Triglyceride, LDL-C cholesterol levels increased, whereas plasma HDL-C levels decreased with increasing the body mass index (P < 0.0001) in both genders. Total cholesterol levels significantly increased with increasing the body mass index, especially in boys (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of dyslipidemia was 25.2% for boys and 21.7% for girls; this value significantly increased with overweight (37-40%) and obesity (53-56%). Independent predictors (odds ratio) of dyslipidemia were age (1.49), overweight (2.06), and obesity (5.11) for boys; overweight (1.95) and obesity (3.22) for girls. Conclusion: Adolescent dyslipidemia is strongly associated with obesity. Lipid screening for overweight or obese youths should be emphasized. Further, longitudinal studies examining the impact of childhood obesity and dyslipidemia on subsequent cardiovascular diseases are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]