title: Prevalence of metabolic components in university students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to identify the frequency of components of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) among university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  descriptive study with 550 students, from various courses run by a public university. The socioeconomic data, lifestyle, and components of MetS were filled out using a questionnaire. Blood sample collection was undertaken in the university itself by a contracted clinical analysis laboratory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  66.2% were female, with a mean age of 22.6±4.41; 71.7% were sedentary; 1.8% stated that they smoke; and 48.5% were classified as at medium risk for alcoholism. 5.8% had raised abdominal circumference and 20.4% had excess weight; 1.3% and 18.9% had raised fasting blood glucose levels and triglycerides, respectively; 64.5% had low HDL cholesterol and 8.7% had blood pressure levels compatible with borderline high blood pressure. Thus, of the sample, 64.4% had at least one component for MetS; 11.6% had two, and 3.5% had three or more.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  a significant proportion of the population already has the components for metabolic syndrome, and this profile reinforces the importance of early diagnosis so as to reduce the risk of developing chronic comorbidities.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Picos, PI, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Roberta Vilarouca
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: aff2.
authors.forename: Luana Savana Nascimento
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.affiliation: Prefeitura Municipal de São Raimundo Nonato, São Raimundo Nonato, PI, Brazil.
authors.forename: Telma de Sousa
authors.initials: Tde S
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Prefeitura Municipal de Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, PI, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ramiro Marx Alves
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Cortez
authors.affiliation: Prefeitura Municipal de Itainópolis, Itainópolis, PI, Brazil.
authors.forename: Layla Gonçalves do Nascimento
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo César
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: de Almeida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult