title: [Influence of the self-reported skin color on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in an urban Brazilian population].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The metabolic syndrome (MS) has a high prevalence in different parts of the world, with variations between different ethnic groups.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims at exploring the influence of the self-reported skin color on the prevalence of MS Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out in a population subgroup (n=1,439 adults) in Salvador, Brazil. The self-reported skin color (white, mulatto or black) was used as well as the MS criterion of ATP-III. The Chi-square test for tendency was used to analyze the prevalence gradient between the groups and logistic regression, for association analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The general prevalence of MS, adjusted for potentially confounder variables, did not differ among whites (23.3%), mulattos (23.3%) and blacks (23.4%). The analysis by sex showed, among men, a reduction in the MS prevalence of whites (26.2%, 95%CI: 20.7-31.7), in comparison to blacks (17.5%, 95%CI: 12.3-22.8) and an intermediate prevalence among mulattos, 21.9%, 95%CI: 18.6-25.1, p tend. = 0.002. Among the women, the tendency was the opposite, being higher among the blacks, 27.0%, 95%CI: 22.2-31.8, and lower among the whites, 20.5%, 95%CI: 15.6-25.4, p tend. = 0.02. The multivariate analysis of the association between skin color and MS (white = group of reference) showed that the black color of the skin was a protective factor among black men, with a prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.60 (0.36-0.97), whereas it tended to be a risk factor among black women, with a PR = 1.33 (0.94-1.78).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of MA presented an inverse variation according to the color of skin between men and women. To be black was a protective factor among men and a risk factor among women.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil. paulojbb@cardiol.br
authors.forename: Paulo José Bastos
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lessa
authors.forename: Naomar de
authors.initials: Nd
authors.lastname: Almeida Filho
authors.forename: Lucélia Batista N Cunha
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Magalhães
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Araújo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000145:classification*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012880:Skin Pigmentation; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data