Influencing factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in overweight and obese children

Abstract

Objective To investigate the influencing factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in overweight and obese children, and to construct a nomogram model for predicting the risk of NAFLD. Methods A total of 147 overweight or obese children who visited The First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from July 2020 to July 2025 were enrolled in this study, and were divided into an NAFLD group (n=41) and a non-NAFLD group (n=106). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the independent influencing factors for NAFLD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed, and a nomogram model was constructed using R software to evaluate the predictive value. Results Among the NAFLD cases, 92.7% were obese and 7.3% were overweight. Univariate analysis showed that age, overweight/obesity, body mass index (BMI), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), uric acid (UA), white blood cell count (WBC), and insulin levels were significantly associated with NAFLD (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that BMI, ALT, and WBC were independent related factors for NAFLD (P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the combined assessment of BMI, WBC, and ALT yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.896 (95%CI: 0.847 - 0.946) for predicting NAFLD, with a sensitivity of 97.6% and a specificity of 68.9%. Conclusions Obese children have a significantly higher risk of NAFLD compared to overweight children. Elevated levels of BMI, ALT, and WBC are associated with an increased risk of NAFLD. The combined assessment of these three indicators has significant predictive value for the development of NAFLD.

Keywords

overweight / obesity / nonalcoholic fatty liver disease