Background: Metabolic Syndrome (MS) increases the
risk of diabetes and
mortality associated with
cardiovascular disease . However, the
prevalence of MS could differ by
ethnicity and
lifestyle factors .
Aim: To determine the
prevalence of MS in Mapuche individuals living in urban and rural
environments in
Chile and to investigate whether the
prevalence and
risk of MS in urban and rural
environments differs by
sex , age and
nutritional status . Material and
Methods: A total of 1077 Mapuche participants were recruited from urban (MU = 288) and rural (MR = 789) settings.
Body mass index ,
waist circumference and
blood pressure were measured. A
fasting blood sample was obtained to
measure serum glucose ,
HDL cholesterol and
triacylglycerol . The
prevalence of MS was determined using the unified IDF and
ATP -III criteria.
Results: An
environment and
sex interaction was found for the
prevalence of MS (p = 0.042). The
prevalence was significantly lower in
male MR (13%) compared to other groups (22, 23 and 25% among
female MR,
female MU and
male MU respectively). Also, the
prevalence of
central obesity and low HDL-
cholesterol were significantly lower in
male MR. MU are at an increased
risk of developing MS compared to MR, with an
odds ratio of 1.59 (95%
confidence intervals 1.1 to 2.2). This
risk increases along with age or
body mass index of the
population .
Conclusions: The
adoption of an urbanized
lifestyle increases the
risk of developing MS in Mapuche individuals. This
risk is enhanced by age and
nutritional status .