Lifestyle-related factors and their association with metabolic syndrome in Korean adults: a population-based study

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate whether lifestyle-related factors are associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in community-dwelling Korean adults. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects comprised 590 men and 1,138 women aged 20 years and above. The subjects visited a public health promotion center in Seoul, Republic of Korea to participate in a survey regarding sleep duration, mental stress, educational level, economic status, and frequency of alcohol consumption and smoking. MetS was defined according to the standard definition of the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III report. The relationship between lifestyle-related factors and MetS was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analysis after adjustments for age and sex. [Results] Sleep duration, educational level, economic status, and frequency of alcohol consumption and smoking were not associated with MetS. Mental stress was the only lifestyle-related factor associated with MetS. [Conclusion] Well-designed studies will be necessary in order to establish the lifestyle-related factors of MetS.