Prevalence and risk factors for metabolic syndrome in the Pasos Adelante participants in Douglas, Arizona

Research has shown that trends in obesity can predict trends in diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The lack of a uniform case definition for metabolic syndrome has impeded epidemiological investigations. Metabolic syndrome is most commonly defined as having at least three of the following characteristics: obesity, insulin resistance, high levels of triglycerides, low levels of high density lipoprotein and high blood pressure. The goal of this research is to conduct a secondary analysis of the physical measurements and socioeconomic characteristics of a high-risk population to determine the prevalence and indicators of metabolic syndrome and its co-morbid conditions in Mexican American adults. Over the past five years, community health workers have taught chronic disease prevention classes that have given attention to the Arizona-Sonora border. Pasos Adelante is one of these programs conducted in Douglas, AZ. This community is predominantly Hispanic, federally designated as medically underserved and is known to be at high risk for diabetes. Early identification of risk indicators in this population can help eliminate unnecessary health complications and even reduce deaths attributable to co-morbid conditions related to metabolic syndrome. Creating awareness has huge public health implications for early prevention, intervention and control since there are many modifiable risk factors for this condition. This research will report on patterns of indicators found in the Pasos Adelante participants. Baseline measures will be assessed for over 300 participants, including anthropometrics and blood work. Discussion will include the frequency of metabolic syndrome characteristics and the clustering of cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes characteristics.