Table 2 Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics of adolescents aged 13 years recruited from three southern states of Peninsular Malaysia

Height (cm), n = 930

155.4 (±8.5)

153.0 (±5.9)

153.8 (±6.9)

< 0.001

Weight (kg), n = 930

49.8 (±14.6)

48.6 (±13.1)

49.0 (±13.6)

0.20

BMI (kg/m²), n = 930

20.5 (±5.3)

20.6 (±5.0)

20.6 (±5.1)

0.65

BMI z-score, n = 930

0.37 (±1.57)

0.26 (±1.48)

0.29 (±1.51)

0.30

WC (cm), n = 929

66.7 (±13.5)

65.0 (±10.8)

65.5 (±11.7)

0.05

WC z-score, n = 929

0.10 (±1.15)

−0.05 (±0.92)

0.00 (±1.00)

0.03

Fasting Blood Glucose (mmol/L), n = 507

4.93 (±0.39)

4.83 (±0.42)

4.86 (±0.42)

0.02

Total cholesterol (mmol/L), n = 507

4.36 (±0.72)

4.71 (±0.79)

4.60 (±0.79)

< 0.001

HDL cholesterol (mmol/L), n = 507

1.48 (±0.32)

1.58 (±0.32)

1.55 (±0.33)

0.003

LDL cholesterol (mmol/L), n = 507

2.47 (±0.63)

2.73 (±0.70)

2.65 (±0.69)

< 0.001

Triglycerides (mmol/L), n = 507

0.88 (±0.54)

0.89 (±0.38)

0.89 (±0.44)

0.78

Serum insulin (uIU/mL), n = 507

14.14 (±9.07)

13.96 (±8.08)

14.02 (±8.38)

0.83

HOMA-IR (unit), n = 507

3.14 (±2.20)

3.03 (±1.83)

3.06 (±1.95)

0.55

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

p-value

Overweight/obesity, n = 930

103 (34.6)

198 (31.4)

301 (32.4)

0.11

Abdominal obesity, n = 929

35 (11.8)

73 (11.6)

108 (11.6)

0.92

Dyslipidaemia, n = 507

22 (14.3)

99 (28.0)

121 (23.9)

0.001^a

Plausible dietary reporter, n = 585

54 (31.4)

117 (28.5)

171 (29.2)

0.11