Predictors of Prediabetes/T2DM Identified Among U.S. Adolescents

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Male gender, younger age, and waist-to-height ratio are independent predictors of prediabetes/type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among U.S. adolescents, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in PLOS Global Public Health.

Eric Peprah Osei, from the University of Illinois Chicago, used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2021 to 2023) to analyze the prevalence and factors associated with prediabetes/T2DM among 1,998 adolescents in the United States.

The researchers found that 30.8 percent of adolescents had prediabetes or T2DM. There were significant associations for older age (odds ratio [OR], 0.93), female gender (OR, 0.50), overweight/obesity (OR, 1.57), elevated waist-to-height ratio (OR, 24.04), total daily sugar intake (OR, 1.003), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR, 1.41), higher systolic blood pressure (OR, 1.02), and higher diastolic blood pressure (OR, 1.02) with odds of having prediabetes/T2DM in a univariate analysis. In a multivariable analysis, older age, female gender, and elevated waist-to-height ratio were significant predictors (adjusted odds ratios, 0.91, 0.52, and 146.19, respectively). Increased risk was seen with male gender and younger age, but central adiposity, measured by waist-to-height ratio, was the strongest independent predictor of prediabetes/T2DM compared with general overweight/obesity.

“This highlights the critical need for early screening and targeted prevention strategies that incorporate waist-to-height ratio into routine pediatric assessment, focusing on central adiposity and demographic risk factors,” the authors write.

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