Gender Differences in the Association of Socioeconomic Status with Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Koreans / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The association of socioeconomic status with metabolic syndrome could differ according to cultural and social background. This study examined the potential influence of gender. METHODS: A total of 3,291 middle-aged Korean subjects who participated in the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. Socioeconomic status was measured using educational background (no school or graduated elementary school, and graduated middle school, high school, or college). RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 34.5% in men and 29.8% in women. After adjusting for age, women with more education had a lower prevalence (no school or graduated elementary school, mean +/- SEM, 35.5 +/- 2.3%; middle school, 37.3 +/- 2.4; high school, 26.0 +/- 1.8; college, 21.5 +/- 2.6; p for trend < 0.001). In contrast, in men, there was no difference in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to educational background. This result could not be explained by smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, or diet. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that socioeconomic status is closely related to the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Korean middle-aged women, but not in men.