Metabolic Syndrome among Adults in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and Predictors
Zayed M. Altowerqi *
Physical Education Department, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia and Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Education, University Technology Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
Zainal Abidin Bin Zainuddin
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Education, University Technology Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is an emerging health problem and has increased globally. This research aims to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Saudi Arabia adults and identify the associated predictors of MS among Saudi Arabia adults. One hundred and one (101) male adults aged between 26 and 60 participated in this study. The researchers collected data on height and weight as well as blood samples. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 56.4%. Of the sample, 73.3% ate fast food, 30.7% were smokers, 41.6% were overweight, and 36.6% were obese. It was also found that only 35.6% of participants engaged in low levels of physical activity, 29.7% had a waist size ≥ 102, 70.3% had fasting blood glucose ≥ 100 mg/dl, 48.5% had blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg, 20.8% had triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dl, 94.1% had high density lipoprotein < 40 mg/dl. Adhoc intervention programmes for non-communicable diseases should be set up in Saudi Arabia to decrease the prevalence of MS.
Keywords: Metabolic syndrome, obesity, physical activity, Saudi Arabia