Metabolic syndrome (Met-S) constitutes the risk factors and abnormalities that markedly increase the probability of developing diabetes and coronary heart disease. An early detection of Met-S, its components and risk factors can be of great help in preventing or controlling its adverse consequences. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of cardio-metabolic risk factors in young army recruits from Saudi Arabia. A total of 2010 Saudis aged 18-30 years were randomly selected from groups who had applied to military colleges. In addition to designed questionnaire, anthropometric measurements and blood samples were collected to measure Met-S components according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Met-S prevalence was 24.3% and it was higher in older subjects than the younger ones. There were significant associations between Met-S and age, education level and marital status. The most common Met-S components were high fasting blood sugar (63.6%) followed by high blood pressure (systolic and diastolic, 63.3% and 37.3% respectively) and high body mass index (57.5%). The prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes were found to be 55.2% and 8.4%, respectively. Hypertriglyceridemia was found in 19.3% and low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in 11.7% of subjects. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of Met-S in young adults of Saudi Arabia. There is a need for regular monitoring of Met-S in young populations to keep them healthy and fit for nation building. It is also important to design and launch community-based programs for educating people about the importance of physical activity, cessation of smoking and eating healthy diet in prevention of chronic diseases.
Keywords: blood glucose; blood pressure; body weight; lipid profile; metabolic syndrome; military recruits; prevalence.