Prevalence and Risk Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in the Headquarters and Operational Personnel of a Military Center

Background and Aim: Metabolic syndrome is considered as an important public health problem and there are few reports of this disease in the military, therefore, this study was performed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its risk factors among the personnel of a military population. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021. In this study, 368 law enforcement personnel referred to the annual health monitoring plan, values of age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), abdominal circumference, pelvic circumference, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured. Metabolic syndrome was calculated by two criteria, Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Results: The mean age, weight, and BMI of the participants in this study were 39.50 years, 83.74 kg, and 27.16 kg/m2, respectively. Abnormal levels of blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL and ALT in individuals were 9.2%, 16.6%, 50.5%, 4.9%, 66.6%, 1.9% and 22.6%, respectively. A high value of body mass index was observed in 83.1% of people. The waist calculated values according to ATP III and IDF criteria were 7.1% and 35.9%, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the ATP III and IDF criteria were 17.7% and 20.7%, respectively in the total population. There were positive corrections between metabolic syndrome with BMI and age. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to the ATP III and IDF criteria were 17.7% and 19.7% in the operational military unit, and 17.6% and 21.8% in the headquarters military unit, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that approximately one fifth of the studied military personnel have metabolic syndrome. Although this amount is less than the average of the society, considering the lifestyle and job of the military, and to achieve the high goals specified for this organization, the same amount needs attention. Therefore, the use of various educational methods to control weight and diet, as well as increase physical activity is recommended.