Gender Differences Relevant to Metabolic Syndrome in a Working Population in Phetchaburi Province, Thailand
Aravan Mungvongsa¹, Chatchada Mahaweerawat², Suneerat Yangyuen¹, Chatklaw Jareanpon³, Thidarat Somdee¹
Affiliation : ¹ Faculty of Public Health, Mahasarakham University, MahaSarakham, Thailand; ² Faculty of Medicine, Mahasarakham University, MahaSarakham, Thailand; ³ Faculty of Informatics, Mahasarakham University, MahaSarakham, Thailand
Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing in the Thai working population. Thus, there is a need for an analysis of factors relevant to metabolic syndrome comparing the differences between females and males to improve, prevent, and reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome in the working population.
Objective: To investigate the factors and the prevalence to identify gender-specific risk factors for MetS.
Materials and Methods: The authors performed a cross-sectional study of 2,076 working adults living in the Phetchaburi Province in Central Thailand, defining MetS according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. The authors used a self-administered structured questionnaire to collect the data, and calculated odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) stratified by gender.
Results: The median age of participants was 50 years. The overall prevalence of MetS was higher in females (28.13%) than males (22.25%). MetS was associated with high body mass index (BMI), education, and exercise in both genders. Advanced age was a MetS risk factor in males (adjusted OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.42 to 7.32, p=0.005). The main MetS protective factors in females were nutrition literacy (adjusted OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.99, p=0.046) and behavior (adjusted OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.62, p<0.001).
Conclusion: MetS risk factors are gender specific. Therefore, gender-specific public health strategies are required to prevent MetS.
Received 18 August 2022 | Revised 30 December 2022 | Accepted 9 January 2023
DOI: 10.35755/jmedassocthai.2023.04.13840
Keywords : Metabolic syndrome; Gender differences; Thai working
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