Metabolic syndrome among a middle-aged population in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam

BACKGROUND Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a clustering of metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MetS, its components, and their associations among rural middle-aged population in Vietnam. METHODS A cross-sectional study with a representative sample (n = 2443) was conducted to collect data on demographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric, lifestyles, plasma glucose, and lipid profile. The age- and sex-adjusted prevalences of MetS and its components were calculated using the direct standardization. Associations of risk factors with MetS were evaluated using logistic regression, taken into account the confounding factors. RESULTS The total age- and sex-adjusted prevalence (95% CI) of MetS was 16.3% (14.0 - 18.6). The most frequent component of MetS was high triglycerides (43.2%), followed by low HDL-C (42.0%), elevated blood pressure (29.2%), high plasma glucose (14.3%), and central obesity (12.3%). Of the total population, only 17.6% did not have any component of MetS and more than 40% had at least two MetS components. The association of MetS with residence, age, body mass index, marital status, and siesta time per day was statistically significant in univariate analysis and replicated in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION The MetS prevalence and its components are common and major public health burden in the middle-aged adults in Vietnam. Habitants living in urban, being never-married, having an increase in age, BMI, and siesta time per day are significantly associated with MetS, and they should be paid much more attention for screening and implementing preventive activities.