Objective To examine the association between sleep duration, TV watching time, and the incidence of metabolic syndrome in people aged 40 or older in Guiyang city. Methods Data were obtained at the baseline examination of The epidemiological study on the risk of cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes in China in 2011. Follow-up study was conducted in 2014 to 2015. A total of 4 392(female 2 987, male 1 405)were included in the analysis. Results According to diagnostic criteria of International Diabetes Federation(IDF)in 2005, 1 035(812 women, 223 men)of the cohort developed metabolic syndrome during an average follow up for 3 years. Sleep duration was classified as ≤7 h/d, 7-9 h/d, ≥9 h/d, the incidence of metabolic syndrome was 24.46%, 22.43%, 23.65%, respectively. TV watching time was divided into 0-1 h/d, 1.1-2 h/d, 2.1-4 h/d, >4 h/d, the incidence rates were 20.67%, 22.91%, 24.61%, 25.76%, respectively. In multivariate logistics regression analysis, compared with 0-1 h/d, the RR values of women with TV watching time during 1.1-2 h/d, 2.1-4 h/d, >4 h/d were 1.098(95%CI 0.789-1.528), 141.6(95%CI 1.052-1.906), 1.559(95%CI 1.090-2.233), respectively. Conclusion The standardized incidence rate of metabolic syndrome in the general population was 23.12%, the crude rate was 23.57%. The incidence of metabolic syndrome was unrelated to the sleep duration and TV watching time as a whole or in men. TV watching time more than 2 hours a day may increase the risk of the metabolic syndrome in women. (Chin J Endocrinol Metab, 2016, 32: 488-493) Key words: Metabolic syndrome; Sleep duration; TV watching time; Cohort study