title: Estimating the geographical distribution of the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in young Mexicans.
abstract: The geographical distribution of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence in young Mexicans (aged 17-24 years) was estimated stepwise starting from its prevalence based on the body mass index (BMI) in a study of 3,176 undergraduate students of this age group from Mexico City. To estimate the number of people with MetS by state, we multiplied its prevalence derived from the BMI range found in the Mexico City sample by the BMI proportions (range and state) obtained from the Mexico 2006 national survey on health and nutrition. Finally, to estimate the total number of young people with MetS in Mexico, its prevalence by state was multiplied by the share of young population in each state according to the National Population and Housing Census 2010. Based on these figures, we estimated the national prevalence of MetS at 15.8%, the average BMI at 24.1 (standard deviation = 4.2), and the prevalence of overweight people (BMI ≥25) of that age group at 39.0%. These results imply that 2,588,414 young Mexicans suffered from MetS in 2010. The Yucatan peninsula in the south and the Sonora state in the north showed the highest rates of MetS prevalence. The calculation of the MetS prevalence by BMI range in a sample of the population, and extrapolating it using the BMI proportions by range of the total population, was found to be a useful approach. We conclude that the BMI is a valuable public health tool to estimate MetS prevalence in the whole country, including its geographical distribution.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Biomedicina, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tlalnepantla, México. miguelmurguia@gmail.com
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murguía-Romero
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Flores
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villalobos-Molina
authors.forename: Adolfo René
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Méndez-Cruz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult