Abstract

Introduction: the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has highlighted associated comorbidities, such as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (MS). Objective: to assess the utility of the Single Point Insulin Sensitivity Estimator (SPISE) for detecting insulin resistance. Material and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 714 schoolchildren from the city of Jovita, Argentina. The presence of MS in the participants was identified. Results: sixteen percent of the children were obese, with no significant differences between sexes (16.3%in boys and 15.6% in girls). The prevalence of MS was 1.8%(n = 13), of these 13, 12 were obese. The SPISE index score was found to be lower among schoolchildren with obesity than among those with normal weight (7.05 ± 1.37 vs. 13.38± 2.06, p < 0.001). Conclusion: the SPISE index showed lower values in obese children, which may indicate a higher likelihood of insulin resistance.