Metabolic syndrome and related risk factors among adults in the northern West Bank, a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors that includes central obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of MetS and its associated risk factors among adult Palestinians using the International Diabetes Federation definition. METHODS: A total of 1348 subjects ages 18–65 y were recruited in a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2018–2019 in the northern West Bank. RESULTS: A total of 1082 subjects participated; 51.7% were men. The prevalence of MetS was high (44.9%), and higher among women (46.1%) than men (44.2%) (p<0.001). The prevalence increased significantly with increasing age and body mass index (BMI) in both genders (p<0.001). However, metabolically obese but normal weight individuals (MONW) (8.4%) were also identified, with a slight increase among women (9.4%) compared with men (7.5%) (p=0.56). MetS was more likely to be prevalent among participants with increased fasting blood sugar (5.8 times), increased triglyceride (7.4 times), increased blood pressure (4.5 times) and BMI ≥25 (19.9 times) (p<0.001). The prevalence of MetS was higher among rural (50.3%) vs urban (39.3%) residents and refugees (33.8%). CONCLUSIONS: With increasing age and obesity, clustering of MetS components increased remarkably in both genders. Effective prevention and treatment strategies for MetS and its risk factors should be developed targeting different ages and genders.