Relationship between quality of life and adolescent glycolipid metabolism disorder: A cohort study

BACKGROUND The prevalence of glucolipid metabolic disorders (GLMDs) in children and adolescents has a recognized association with cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus in adulthood. Therefore, it is important to enhance our under-standing of the risk factors for GLMD in childhood and adolescence. AIM To explore the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and adolescent GLMD. METHODS This study included 1956 samples in 2019 from a cohort study established in 2014. The QoL scale and glycolipid indexes were collected during follow-up; other covariates of perinatal factors, physical measures, and socioeconomic indicators were collected and adjusted. A generalized linear regression model and logistic regression model were used to analyse the correlation between QoL and GLMD. RESULTS Higher scores of QoL activity opportunity, learning ability and attitude, attitude towards doing homework, and living convenience domains correlated negatively with insulin and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (IR) levels. Psychosocial factors, QoL satisfaction factors, and total QoL scores had significant protective effects on insulin and IR levels. Activity opportunity, learning ability and attitude, attitude towards doing homework domains of QoL, psychosocial factor, and total score of QoL correlated positively with high density lipoprotein. In addition, the attitude towards doing homework domain was a protective factor for dyslipidaemia, IR > 3, and increased fasting blood glucose; four factors, QoL and total QoL score correlated significantly negatively with IR > 3. In subgroup analyses of sex, more domains of QoL correlated with insulin and triglyceride levels, dyslipidaemia, and IR > 3 in females. Poor QoL was associated with an increased prevalence of GLMD, and the effect was more pronounced in males than in females. Measures to improve the QoL of adolescents are essential to reduce rates of GLMD. CONCLUSION Our study revealed that QoL scores mainly correlate negatively with the prevalence of GLMD in adolescents of the healthy population. The independent relationship between QoL and GLMD can be illustrated by adjusting for multiple covariates that may be associated with glycaemic index. In addition, among females, more QoL domains are associated with glycaemic index.