Biomedical and environmental sciences : BESMay 16, 2014

How well different waist size limits predict metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Chinese adults

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

The age-standardized prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults in China is 24.2%.

Prevalence of MetS was 22.1% in men and 25.8% in women based on the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria.
According to modified IDF criteria, the prevalence of MetS was 19.5% (22.1% in men and 18.0% in women).
The prevalence of pre-MetS was 8.1%, with 8.6% in men and 7.8% in women using modified IDF criteria.
MetS prevalence was higher among urban residents compared to rural residents and higher in northern China than in southern China.
Approximately 30% of both men and women exhibited central obesity, as defined by waist circumference cut-off values (90 cm for men and 85 cm for women).
No significant difference in risk factors was observed between the two definitions of MetS.

Simplified

OBJECTIVE: To study the effectiveness of waist circumference cut-off values in predicting the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and risk factors in adults in China.

METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was condcuted in 14 provinces (autonomous region, municipality) in China. A total of 47,325 adults aged⋝20 years were selected by multistage stratified sampling, and questionnaire survey and physical and clinical examination were conducted among them. MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and modified IDF criteria.

RESULTS: The age-standardized prevalence of MetS was 24.2% (22.1% in men and 25.8% in women) and 19.5% (22.1% in men and 18.0% in women) according to the IDF criteria and modified IDF criteria respectively. The age-standardized prevalence of pre-MetS was 8.1% (8.6% in men and 7.8% in women) according to the modified IDF criteria. The prevalence of MetS was higher in urban residents than rural residents and in northern China residents than in southern China residents. The prevalence of central obesity was about 30% in both men and women according to the ethnicity-specific cut-off values of waist circumference for central obesity (90 cm for men and 85 cm for women). Multivariate regression analysis revealed no significant difference in risk factors between the two MetS definitions.

CONCLUSION: Using both the modified IDF criteria and ethnicity-specific cut-off values of waist circumference can provide more useful information about the prevalence of MetS in China. Conclusion Using both the modified IDF criteria and ethnicity-specific cut-off values of waist circumference can provide more useful information about the prevalence of MetS in China.

How well different waist size limits predict metabolic syndrome and its risk factors in Chinese adults

Abstract

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