Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa: a cross-sectional analysis comparing five diagnostic criteria to explore suitability
Authors' conclusion
Our results underscore the need for locally validated, population-specific MetS criteria and diagnostic thresholds to support early identification of adolescents at risk of cardiometabolic disease (CMD). In the absence of such criteria, the Cook and Ford definitions appear particularly suitable for identifying MetS among South African adolescents, while the Agudelo definition is appropriate when waist circumference (WC) measures are unavailable. Finally, our findings reveal a concerning CMD risk profile among adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa, with a particularly high burden observed in females.
Study context
- Population
- Adolescents aged 13–18 years from coeducational public high schools in Cape Town's Metro South district, South Africa
- Participants
- 489 adolescents
- Exposure
- Five Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) diagnostic criteria: Cook, Ford, de Ferranti, International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Agudelo
- Outcome
- MetS prevalence by five diagnostic criteria and agreement between definitions (unweighted Kappa)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Very good agreement between Cook, Ford and Agudelo
- κ > 0.85
- Fair to moderate agreement involving IDF and de Ferranti
- κ = 0.33-0.42
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
MetS components
- Central obesity and raised BP were the most prevalent components across criteria
MetS prevalence by sex
- Females had higher MetS prevalence than males across the five criteria
Original publication
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