Health overview of a group of public university employees in Sao Paulo: metabolic syndrome, anthropometric indices, and dietary adequacy

Obesity, recognized as a public health issue, is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. Coupled with a sedentary lifestyle and inadequate diet, elevated body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio have been observed. This study aimed to characterize the Metabolic Syndrome profile in adults (89 women and 46 men) using anthropometric indices, biochemical data, and dietary adequacy. This descriptive epidemiological study was conducted with 135 non-teaching staff members, including basic, technical, and higher categories, at a public university in Sao Paulo. Sociodemographic data, dietary surveys, weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure measurements, and biochemical tests (glucose, triglycerides, and High-density lipoprotein-c) were collected. Results: 36% of participants were overweight, 28% were obese, with 62.0% of the sample showing altered biochemical parameters. The prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome was 13.3% in men and 19.2% in women. In the waist-to-height ratio, 81% had cardiovascular or metabolic disease risk range indices. An inadequate diet across all three macronutrients was observed in 34.9% of participants with altered body mass index and 37.0% with altered waist circumference. The results revealed that characterizing metabolic syndrome with the evaluated parameters and dietary analysis provides insights that guide actions for programs, even within university institutions and those connected to the health field.