title: Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome Among Employees in Northeast China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of metabolic abnormalities and has been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among employees in Northeast China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Totally, 33,149 employees who received health screening in the International Health Promotion Center in the First Hospital of Jilin University were enrolled. Height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein were recorded. Three definitions for the metabolic syndrome were applied, revised National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria, and the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the age-standardized prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 22.9%, 20.6%, and 15.3% based on definitions of revised NCEP ATP III criteria, the IDF criteria, and the CDS criteria, respectively. Men had higher age-standardized prevalence than women in all three definitions (P < 0.05). The prevalence was 27.1%, 24.5%, and 20.4% for men; 17.1%, 15.4%, and 8.3% for women, respectively. The most common metabolic component with the metabolic syndrome was overweight (54.7% of men had an elevated body mass index, and 35.9% of women had central obesity).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large proportion of employees among Northeast China have the metabolic syndrome. These findings place emphasis on the need to develop aggressive lifestyle modification for patients with the metabolic syndrome and population level strategies for the prevention, detection, and treatment of cardiovascular risk.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Michiel L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bots
authors.forename: Wei-Ying
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Arno W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hoes
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3508 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilonca
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vaartjes
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology