Metabolic syndrome among Moroccan Sahraoui adult Women.

Factors related to metabolic syndrome were investigated in a sample of 249 Moroccan Sahraoui women, ages 15 years and older. Body weight, height, waist and hip circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, and blood pressure were measured. The results indicate that central obesity was the most common comorbid factor (75%) followed by hypertension (28.6%), hypertriglyceridemia (22.4%), hyperglycemia (11.9%), and hypercholesterolemia (11.6%). The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 16.3%, and it was more prevalent in obese, older, married, and women without education than nonobese, younger, single, and educated women. Also, the prevalence of all metabolic syndrome components decreased with physical activity. The results suggest that prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, could be the most direct route to prevention of this syndrome and its complications. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.