Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Study on the Prevalence of MS among 11-18 Years Old School Children in East of Iran, 2012

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disorders. MS is increasing among adolescents. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of MS in 11-18 years old Birjandi school children in 2012. This cross–sectional study was conducted on 2394 eleven-eighteen years old school children in Birjand (1304 girls and 1090 boys) through Multiple-Cluster Sampling. Height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured by standard methods. Blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C were measured after a 12-hour fasting. MS was defined according to the modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software (ver. 16) using statistical T test, logistic regression and Chi square at P<0.05. According to this study, 6.9% of adolescents (4.5% of females and 9.9% of males) had MS. Occurrence rate of MS in male students was 2.32 times of female ones. Components of MS included low HDL (27.7%), hypertriglyceridemia (23.7%), central obesity (16.2%), systolic hypertension (9.4%), diastolic hypertension (0.9%), and high FBS (0.6%). This study showed a significant relationship between MS, and overweight, obesity and central obesity. 48.5% of the adolescents had at least one component of MS. MS has a high prevalence in Birjandi adolescents, particularly in the obese ones. Thus, preventive measures such as correcting life style, having appropriate nutrition, and encouraging adolescents to have more physical activity are recommended.