An Epidemiological Study on Magnitude of Selected Components of Metabolic Syndrome and Its Risk Factors among First-year MBBS Students.

Abstract

Background: Previous research has suggested that the prevalence of risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases is higher in South Asians, with premature presentation common in this subpopulation.

Aim: To explore this further, we assessed the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components and risk factors among young adults.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, epidemiological, institution-based study conducted at the Medical College in Eastern India. The study aimed to assess the demographic, physical, and biochemical risk factors for MetS among first-year medical students using a predesigned, pretested, semistructured questionnaire. The relationship between socio-demographics and other characteristics of MetS was calculated by using Chi-squared tests and unpaired t-tests. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was significant with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The logistic regression method was applied to find out the strength of the association of sociodemographics and other characteristics with MetS.

Results: The study included 150 first-year medical undergraduate students (mean age of 18.5 ± 0.4 years), comprising 68% males. Among students who were smokers, consumed alcohol, and had excessive junk food, salt, and red meat, the risk of MetS was significantly greater (p < 0.00001). The logistic regression revealed that history of smoking [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.32, 95% CI (3.31-9.02)] and history of alcohol intake [AOR 6.23, 95% CI (2.45-8.62)] were significantly associated with greater odds of MetS.

Conclusion: In young adults, the risk of premature cardiovascular disease can be reduced by focusing on the early identification and prevention of risk factors for MetS. Context-specific, cost-effective, and feasible interventions to reduce identified risk factors are the need of the hour.