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Metabolic syndrome and lifestyle-associated factors in the ethnically diverse population of Khuzestan, Iran: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Purpose

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of risk factors, mainly central obesity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, leading to life-threatening cardiovascular diseases. The prevalence of MetS can vary based on different ethnicities and many cultural and lifestyle factors.

Aims

We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MetS and possible correlations with lifestyle-associated factors among different ethnicities in Khuzestan, Iran.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Khuzestan province of Iran, among 30,504 participants aged 20–65 years, between October 2016 and November 2019. Data was collected through questionnaires along with anthropometric and biological measurements. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III definition was used to estimate MetS prevalence.

Results

Overall, 31.9% (95% CI 31.4–32.4) had MetS (34.2% [95% CI 33.3–35.1] among males; 30.7% [95% CI 30.0–31.3] among females [p < 0.001]). Central obesity, elevated fasting blood sugar levels, and dyslipidemia were the most common abnormalities among those with MetS. The risk of MetS was estimated to increase by age, male gender, residing in urban regions, lower educational levels, lower physical activity levels, lower sleep time, and a positive family history of diabetes mellitus (p < 0.001). Individuals of the Arab and Bakhtiary ethnicities had the highest and lowest risk of MetS, respectively.

Conclusion

MetS prevalence varied among different ethnicities. Aging and some lifestyle-associated factors such as physical activity and sleep time were related to the risk of MetS. Raising awareness about risk factors of MetS would be of great value in setting new health policies to manage the rising trend of MetS.

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Acknowledgments

Investigators would like to send their sincere thanks to all participants of the KCHS for their kind contribution to this project.

Funding

This project was funded by the National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD, Grant number: 940406).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Armin Aryannejad, Bahareh Gholami & Mohammadreza Tabary

  2. Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Armin Aryannejad, Sareh Eghtesad, Zahra Mohammadi, Mohammadreza Tabary, Sahar Masoudi & Hossein Poustchi

  3. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Zahra Rahimi

  4. Abadan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Abadan, Iran

    Reza Malihi

  5. Behbahan Faculty of Medical Sciences, Behbahan, Iran

    Leila Danehchin

  6. School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Science, Dezful, Iran

    Yousef Paridar

  7. Shoshtar Faculty of Medical Sciences, Shoshtar, Iran

    Farhad Abolnezhadian

  8. Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Farhad Abolnezhadian

  9. Alimentary Tract Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Clinical Research Development Unit, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Bahman Cheraghian

  10. Alimentary Tract Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Clinical Research Development Unit, the School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Ali Mard

  11. School of Medicine, Islamic Azad University Tehran Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Amir Mohammad Zakeri

  12. Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Reza Naderian

  13. Alimentary Tract Research Center, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Clinical Research Development Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Ali Akbar Shayesteh

  14. Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, North Karegar St., 1411713135, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Akbar Shayesteh & Hossein Poustchi

Authors
  1. Armin Aryannejad
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  2. Sareh Eghtesad
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  3. Zahra Rahimi
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  4. Zahra Mohammadi
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  6. Leila Danehchin
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  8. Farhad Abolnezhadian
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  9. Bahman Cheraghian
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  10. Ali Mard
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  11. Bahareh Gholami
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  12. Amir Mohammad Zakeri
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  13. Mohammadreza Tabary
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  14. Sahar Masoudi
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  15. Mohammad Reza Naderian
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  16. Ali Akbar Shayesteh
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  17. Hossein Poustchi
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ali Akbar Shayesteh or Hossein Poustchi.

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Armin Aryannejad and Sareh Eghtesad contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.

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Aryannejad, A., Eghtesad, S., Rahimi, Z. et al. Metabolic syndrome and lifestyle-associated factors in the ethnically diverse population of Khuzestan, Iran: a cross-sectional study. J Diabetes Metab Disord 20, 747–756 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40200-021-00811-5

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