title: Obesity explains gender differences in the association between education level and metabolic syndrome in South Korea: the results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the association of educational level with metabolic syndrome (MS) and its risk factors by gender in South Korea. A total of 6178 participants aged 20 years or older from The Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in this study. A generalized linear model and adjusted proportion were used to identify educational disparities in MS, its components, and its risk factors (smoking, high-risk alcohol consumption, obesity, and stress). In women, a clearly inverse association between education level and MS were observed with significant trend, and the decreasing trends of all risk factors across education quartiles were in line with the inverse association. However, the association between education level and MS was not observed with a significant trend among men. An opposite trend of risk factors across education levels was shown in men, with an increasing trend for obesity and decreasing trends for smoking and high-risk alcohol consumption. These findings demonstrate that obesity can explain gender differences in the association between education level and MS in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki Dong
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea belong.cho@gmail.com.
authors.forename: BeLong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Won Chul
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hae Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun Ki
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bum Jo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: educational level; gender differences; metabolic syndrome