Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its components in the Brazilian adult population

Abstract

We estimated the prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its components in the Brazilian population according to sociodemo-graphic factors. This is a cross-sectional popula-tion-based study that used laboratory data from the National Health Survey. We estimated the prevalence of MetS and its components with 95% confidence intervals and the unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) with the Poisson re-gression. MetS prevalence ratio was 38.4%. High waist circumference (WC) (65.5%) and low HDL cholesterol (49.4%) were the most prevalent com-ponents, including in the youngest people. MetS and its components were more frequent among women (41.8%), individuals with low schooling (47.5%), and older adults (66.1%). In the adjusted analysis, females (PR = 1.16; 95% CI 1.08-1.24), older adults (PR = 3.69; 95% CI 3.26-4.17), and low schooling (PR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.17-1.49) were associated with MetS. MetS was prevalent in the Brazilian population, especially among women, individuals with low schooling, and older adults. High WC and low HDL cholesterol were the most prevalent components, with the aggravating high prevalence factor in young adults. These findings reveal the need to consider laboratory data for a more accurate analysis of this condition, which can be challenging at the national level.