Dejhalla Ema, Zavidić Tina, Popović Branislava, Čulina Tatjana
Medical Centre for Occupational Health, Verdieva 8, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
Depatment of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, B. Branchetta 20, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
J Clin Med. 2025 Jun 20;14(13):4389. doi: 10.3390/jcm14134389.
: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among youth is rising, and the increase is closely linked to unhealthy lifestyle patterns. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS among University of Rijeka students and investigate its associations with dietary habits, physical activity, gender, and faculty type (health and non-health faculties). : A cross-sectional study conducted from September 2024 to March 2025 involved 217 randomly selected students from 16 faculties. The validated questionnaires Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF), as well as a general data questionnaire, were used alongside anthropometric (height, weight, waist circumference) and biochemical measurements (fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol). MetS was diagnosed using a combination of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and Polish Experts Consensus (2022) criteria. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, -tests, ANOVA, Spearman's correlation, and multivariate logistic regression. : MetS was identified in 5.5% of students. Significant risk factors included obesity (body mass index, BMI, < 0.05), low physical activity (IPAQ-SF, < 0.05), elevated blood pressure ( < 0.01), high triglyceride levels ( < 0.05), and increased waist-to-height ratio (WHtR, < 0.01). Female students reported lower physical activity than males ( < 0.05), while students from non-health faculties had lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MEDAS, < 0.05) and reduced physical activity ( < 0.05). Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet correlated with lower BMI and triglyceride levels ( < 0.05), whereas lower adherence was associated with reduced physical activity (Spearman's r = -0.35, < 0.01). Logistic regression with WHR as the dependent variable showed waist circumference (WC) as the strongest predictor (OR = 45.925, 95% CI: 5.238-402.666, = 0.001), followed by triglycerides (OR = 3.395, 95% CI: 1.322-8.718, = 0.011). BMI was inversely associated with WHR (OR = 0.068, 95% CI: 0.006-0.780, = 0.031). HDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting glucose were not significant predictors ( > 0.05), indicating limited predictive power in this model. : The 5.5% MetS prevalence underscores the need for targeted interventions promoting Mediterranean diet adherence and physical activity, particularly among non-health faculty students and females. Longitudinal studies are warranted to assess intervention efficacy.
青少年代谢综合征（MetS）的患病率正在上升，且这种增加与不健康的生活方式密切相关。本研究旨在确定里耶卡大学学生中MetS的患病率，并调查其与饮食习惯、身体活动、性别和学院类型（健康与非健康学院）之间的关联。：2024年9月至2025年3月进行的一项横断面研究涉及从16个学院随机选取的217名学生。使用经过验证的问卷《地中海饮食依从性筛查量表》（MEDAS）和《国际体力活动问卷简表》（IPAQ - SF）以及一份一般数据问卷，同时进行人体测量（身高、体重、腰围）和生化测量（空腹血糖、甘油三酯、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇）。采用国际糖尿病联盟（IDF）标准和波兰专家共识（2022年）标准相结合的方法诊断MetS。统计分析包括描述性统计、t检验、方差分析、Spearman相关性分析和多变量逻辑回归。：5.5%的学生被确定患有MetS。显著的风险因素包括肥胖（体重指数，BMI，<0.05）、低体力活动（IPAQ - SF，<0.05）、血压升高（<0.01）、高甘油三酯水平（<0.05）以及腰高比增加（WHtR，<0.01）。女生报告的体力活动低于男生（<0.05），而非健康学院的学生对地中海饮食的依从性较低（MEDAS，<0.05）且体力活动减少（<0.05）。对地中海饮食的更高依从性与较低的BMI和甘油三酯水平相关（<0.05），而较低的依从性与体力活动减少相关（Spearman相关系数r = -0.35，<0.01）。以腰臀比（WHR）为因变量的逻辑回归显示腰围（WC）是最强的预测因素（OR = 45.925，95%置信区间：5.238 - 402.666，P = 0.001），其次是甘油三酯（OR = 3.395，95%置信区间：1.322 - 8.718，P = 0.011）。BMI与WHR呈负相关（OR = 0.068，95%置信区间：0.006 - 0.780，P = 0.031）。高密度脂蛋白胆固醇、收缩压和舒张压以及空腹血糖不是显著的预测因素（P>0.05），表明该模型中的预测能力有限。：5.5%的MetS患病率凸显了有必要进行针对性干预，以促进对地中海饮食的依从性和身体活动，特别是在非健康学院学生和女性中。有必要进行纵向研究以评估干预效果。
