Prevalência da síndrome metabólica e de seus componentes em universitários

Abstract

The Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a complex disorder represented by a group of cardiovascular risk factors. The increase in general mortality around 1.5 and the increased mortality from cardiovascular disease in 2.5 times are some of the reasons that prove the relevance of the problem. A growing number of young people, especially college students, have been affected by metabolic disorder, and to date, there are no studies with this portion of the population in Brazil. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the prevalence of MetS and their individual components in a population of college students. Furthermore, we sought to evaluate the influence of the area and the period in which the student is in your course in the MetS prevalence. Cross-sectional study with 702 university students belonging to a Public Institution of Higher Education in Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2011. The sample consisted of students over 18 years, duly enrolled and attending courses in different areas of knowledge like: human, exact, agricultural, health and biological sciences and technology. Initially, students filled out an instrument containing data identifying, demographic and related health indicators like a physical exercise, smoking and alcohol. Next, we assessed the anthropometric data, height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index and blood pressure. Blood samples were taken by a specialized laboratory, respecting a fasting for twelve hours to blood glucose, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. The criteria used for the diagnosis of MetS was the National Cholesterol Education Program – Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III). The project was submitted to the Ethics Committee on Human Research of the Center for Health Sciences of the Federal University of Ceará and approved according to the protocol 208/2010. The prevalence of MetS was 1.7%. With regards to its components, 30.9% and 12.1% of students had at least one or two, respectively. Waist circumference, blood pressure, levels of blood glucose and triglyceride levels were increased by 5.6%, 8.3%, 12.1% and 22.5% of the students, respectively. The levels of HDL-cholesterol were reduced by 12.0% of the sample. We found a statistically significant association between BMI and the prevalence of MetS (p=0,000). Students belonging to the health showed the better parameters of waist circumference (p=0.011), blood pressure (p=0.014), of blood glucose (p=0.036), HDL-cholesterol (p=0.000), BMI (p=0.001) and smoking (0.034). Regarding the period of the course, it was evident that alcohol use is lower among freshmen, compared to those students who are at the end of the course (p = 0.000). We conclude that the prevalence of MetS was lower among college students, however, a large portion of them have components present, increasing the chances of onset of the disorder over the years. Moreover, students belonging to health science had fewer of MetS components and better health indicators. Intervention studies should be conducted in seeking to encourage healthy lifestyles for all students, regardless of the training area and period in which they are in progress.