Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with obesity indices in a Chinese population

Abstract

To investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in an urbanizing community in Qingpu, a suburb of Shanghai, and to determine which obesity indices, including body mass index, waist circumference (WC), and waist:hip (WHpR), and waist:height (WHtR) ratios, are most closely associated with metabolic syndrome. We conducted a cross-sectional health survey of 1634 individuals (age 15-87 years) in the Jinhulu community located in Qingpu. The National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (NCEP ATP III) criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome, with central obesity defined according to Asia-Pacific (APC) region criteria. The age-standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 3.6% in men and 7.2% in women. Using the criterion of central obesity in the APC, the age-standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased to 8.3% in men and 10.9% in women. Regardless of age, WHtR consistently showed a higher odd ratios (OR) after adjustment for confounding factors of 2.17 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-4.20; P = 0.022) in subjects<52 years of age and 1.92 (95% CI 1.18-3.11; P = 0.008) in those ≥52 years of age. In men, the WHtR was the only significant predictor (OR 2.42; 95% CI 1.15-5.08; P = 0.02) of metabolic syndrome after adjustment, whereas in women WHtR (OR 1.87; 95% CI 1.37-2.85; P =0.0088) was slightly inferior to WHpR and WC. Metabolic syndrome is prevalent in an urbanizing rural area in Qingpu. Of the anthropometric parameters commonly used to identify metabolic syndrome, WHtR may be the best.