Abstract
The study examined relationships between physical activity (PA) and Metabolic Syndrome (METS) in Jamaican adolescents. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey examined 276 students from 10 Jamaican high schools. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria determined the metabolic risks. The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children measured PA levels. Mean age was 15.6 (± 1.2). Percentage of subjects classified with METS varied by criterion used; IDF (6.9%) and NCEP (12.4%). While 56% of the subjects classified with METS were physically inactive, logistic regression showed no relationships between PA and individual METS risk factors overall (p>0.05). Females were 15 times less physically active and had significantly (p<0.05) higher waist circumference (WC) than males, whereas, males had significantly (p<0.05) higher fasting blood glucose levels. Although urban adolescents had higher PA than rural adolescents, they had significantly (p<0.05) higher WC; one of the determinants of METS by IDF’s standard. Similarly, under the IDF’s classification, Blacks had significantly higher numbers of METS risk factors (p<0.05) compared to non-Blacks. Jamaican adolescents are at risk for METS irrespective of levels of PA. Living in urban areas, being female, and being Black increased the risk for METS. NCEP guidelines classified more subjects with METS compared with IDF’s. Intervention measures are needed to reduce METS risk factors among this population.
Highlights
Low Physical Activity (PA) and associated risks for chronic diseases are increasing in the adolescent population [1,2]
Jamaican adolescents are at risk for metabolic syndrome (METS) irrespective of levels of PA
Under the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-ATP III standards, subjects were classified with METS if they had ≥3 of the following risk factors; high waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), A1c, blood pressure (BP) and total cholesterol (TC)
Summary
Low Physical Activity (PA) and associated risks for chronic diseases are increasing in the adolescent population [1,2]. METS is a cluster of three or more risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and includes central adiposity, hypertension, high fasting blood glucose, hypertriglyceridemia, and decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Increased prevalence of the individual components and/or clustering of the components of METS are associated with CVD and T2D among American adolescents [1,2,5]. Much of the research on METS in adolescents is related to obesity and insulin resistance [6,7,8]. PA and METS have been studied mostly in the adult population [9,10]
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