Title : Prevalence and biochemical risk factors of metabolic syndrome amongst utas students in Navrongo, upper east region: A cross-sectional study

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has become a growing global public health concern, characterised by a constellation of metabolic abnormalities such as obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and impaired glucose metabolism. MetS was once considered as a disorder of older adults, but it is now increasingly prevalent amongst young adults, particularly university students, due to sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, and stress-related behaviours. In Ghana, there is limited data on the prevalence and biochemical predictors of MetS amongst undergraduate university students. This study therefore investigated the prevalence and predictive biochemical risk factors of MetS amongst students of University and Applied Sciences (UTAS) in Navrongo, Upper East Region, Ghana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 219 healthy students aged 18-36 years. Data on socio-demographic characteristics were collected using a wellstructured questionnaire following standard protocols after informed consent. Anthropometry measurements (weight, height and waist circumference) were also measured and recorded. Blood sample (serum) were taken for some biochemical analysis. The students were evaluated for the prevalence of MetS using four diagnostic criteria: World Health Organisation (WHO), National Cholesterol Education Programme Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and Harmonised MetS (H_MS). Atherogenic and obesity indices, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and Conicity index (CI), were computed and analysed. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to assess the predictive ability of established models.

Results: The prevalence of MetS amongst the UTAS students varied according to the applied diagnostic criteria, namely 5.5% (WHO), 7.3% (NCEP ATP III), 8.2% (H_MS), and 10.1% (IDF). Female students exhibited significantly higher prevalence than males across all definitions (p<0.05). Low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (low HDL-C), elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure and central obesity were the predominant components that contributed to MetS amongst the students. Central obesity indices models (WC and CI) showed strong correlations with atherogenic risk markers. Predictive modelling revealed that WC (AUC=0.978, p<0.001) and CI (AUC=0.968, p<0.001) were the strongest predictors of MetS, which outperformed the BMI model. Female students were predominantly classified in the moderate-to-high-risk categories of all models, showing increased cardiometabolic susceptibility.

Conclusion: Although the overall prevalence of MetS amongst UTAS students was relatively low and the presence of key metabolic abnormalities, obesity-related and biochemical risk factors such low HDL-C, elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure and central obesity contributed greatly to the prevalence of MetS amongst students is concerning. Early identification and intervention through regular metabolic screening, health education, dietary modification, and physical activity promotion are essential to prevent progression of MetS and its associated non-communicable diseases.

To be updated shortly..