A study on the clinical characteristics of overweight children in kindergartens in South China

Introduction Our goal was to explore the differences in clinical characteristics, including laboratory biochemical parameters, age, and sex, between overweight and nonoverweight children. Method In this study, 140 participants were 3- to 6-year-old children. Data were obtained from Chinese children at South China Normal University Affiliated Kindergarten from March 10 to 12, 2025. Weight, height, laboratory biochemical parameters, and liver elastography were measured. We divided the participants into 3 different groups according to their BMI, age, and sex. Results Compared with that in the nonoverweight group, HDL-C was significantly lower in the overweight group. The laboratory biochemical parameters TC, TG, and LDL-C were significantly greater in females than in males. The weight and height at baseline were significantly greater in the 5–6-year-old group than in the 3–4-year-old group, and HGB, GGT, TP, TC, and CREA were significantly greater in the laboratory biochemical parameters in the 5–6-year-old group than in the 3–4-year-old group. Conclusion We found that among preschool children aged 3-6 in Guangzhou, China, the prevalence of overweight was 22%, and the detection rate of NAFLD (assessed by CAP ≥225 dB/m) was 2.9%, and revealed significant differences in metabolic indicators and liver health parameters among children of different weight, sex, and age groups. In conclusion, this study emphasizes significant differences in metabolic indicators and liver health parameters during the preschool period and adopting targeted early health screening and prevention strategies addressing overweight, sex, and age-specific factors to curb the further development of childhood obesity and its related metabolic complications. Future research should incorporate longitudinal designs and expand the sample size to more comprehensively elucidate the dynamic developmental trajectory of liver and metabolic health in children.