title: [Validity of self-reported metabolic syndrome components in a cohort study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the accuracy of self-reported data needed to constitute the metabolic syndrome in the University of Navarra Follow-Up [Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN)] cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SUN project is a multi-purpose prospective cohort, formed by more than 20,000 university graduates, followed-up using surface mail questionnaires every 2 years. In a sample of 287 cohort participants, self-reported data on the criteria needed to define the metabolic syndrome (waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and glucose) were compared with the same biometric data obtained by blood tests or measured by trained medical staff. Intra-class correlation coefficients with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), relative mean error and agreement limits according to the method proposed by Bland and Altman were calculated for each variable studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  High intraclass correlations were found for the values of waist circumference (r=0.86, 95% CI: 0.80-0.90) and triglycerides (r=0.71, 95%CI: 0.61-0.79). Moderate intraclass correlations were found (between 0.46 and 0.63) for the other factors. Relative mean errors were always<2.5%, and >91% of values were within the limits of agreement for all variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that self-declared data on the criteria of metabolic syndrome obtained in the SUN cohort, though with some caution, are sufficiently accurate to be used in epidemiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, Área de Medicina del Trabajo, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, España.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernández-Montero
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Beunza
authors.forename: Maira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bes-Rastrollo
authors.forename: María T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Barrio
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de la Fuente-Arrillaga
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moreno-Galarraga
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Martínez-González
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides