The escalating global prevalence of pediatric obesity has precipitated a concurrent and alarming rise in metabolic disorders, most notably insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. This comprehensive research article investigates the key risk factors driving the pathogenesis of insulin resistance among school-aged children, with a specific focus on the comparative impacts of urban and rural living environments. Drawing upon a cross-sectional clinical and laboratory analysis of 131 school children aged 10 to 11 years residing in Tashkent and the surrounding Tashkent region, this study elucidates the anthropometric, glycemic, lipemic, and endocrine markers indicative of early metabolic dysfunction. The analysis reveals a profound paradox in the regional epidemiological transition: while both urban and rural cohorts exhibit significant deviations in body mass index indicative of widespread overweight and obesity, rural children demonstrate a notably more severe degree of metabolic deterioration. Specifically, rural cohorts exhibited prolonged delayed glucose clearance during oral glucose tolerance testing, exacerbated dyslipidemia characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein and severely depressed high-density lipoprotein, and catastrophic hyperleptinemia compared to their urban counterparts. These findings fundamentally challenge the traditional paradigm that rural environments inherently foster healthier metabolic profiles due to natural diets and physical labor. Instead, the data suggest that the globalization of ultra-processed diets, coupled with transitioning physical activity patterns and potential exposure to agricultural endocrine disruptors, has created a highly obesogenic and diabetogenic environment in rural settings. The findings underscore the urgent need for geographically tailored, socio-ecologically adapted public health interventions, highlighting that pediatric metabolic screening must become a universal standard regardless of population density.

pediatric obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, hyperleptinemia, dyslipidemia, urban-rural disparity, endocrinology, HOMA-IR, carbohydrate metabolism, public health.

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