Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related factors in bank employees according to different defining criteria, Vitória/ES, Brazil

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and related factors in bank employees in the city of Vitória/ES, Brazil. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study that included 521 working men and women >20 years of age. Sociodemographic, lifestyle, anthropometric, biochemical, and hemodynamic characteristics were collected. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed using the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program-ATPIII and the International Diabetes Federation. A logistic regression model was used to calculate the crude and adjusted OR of the variables, and the statistical level of significance was set at 5.0%. RESULTS We identified 86 (17.2%) and 113 (22.6%) subjects with metabolic syndrome according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program-ATPIII and the International Diabetes Federation, respectively. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome was higher in individuals with a high school education (OR 2.6 [CI(95%), 1.1-6.1]). In overweight and obese subjects, the risks were also higher (OR 12.6 [CI(95%), 4.8-33.2, p = 0.000] and OR 43.7% [CI(95%), 16.1-118.9, p = 0.000], respectively). CONCLUSION A large number of bank employees have metabolic syndrome, which can be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Individuals who had college degrees had a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome; this finding can be explained by the high rates of overweight and obesity found in subjects with college and graduate school educations.