Metabolic syndrome and the burden of cardiovascular disease in Caribbean Hispanic women living in northern Manhattan: a red flag for education.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome has the highest prevalence among Mexican-American women. Little information is available for Caribbean Hispanics, the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority in the United States. We sought to evaluate the frequency of metabolic syndrome and its relationship with race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and education in women of largely Caribbean Hispanic origin. METHODS: There were 204 women enrolled in a cross-sectional study who had demographics, fasting glucose, lipid profile, waist circumference, and blood pressure determined. Metabolic syndrome (defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program/Adult Treatment Panel III [NCEP/ATP III]) was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to test age, race/ethnicity, education, health insurance, and residence on the risk of metabolic syndrome. A P value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Mean age was 58 +/- 11 years, Hispanic 44.1% (93% Caribbean), non-Hispanic white (NHW) 38.7%, and non-Hispanic black 9.8%. Education was some high school (