Relación entre estilo de vida y síndrome metabólico en el personal activo de las Fuerzas Armadas del Ecuador. 2021-2022

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome is a group of metabolic disorders that can lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this research was to establish the relationship between lifestyle and metabolic syndrome in active personnel of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. This was a Non-experimental, cross-sectional and analytical design study that included 250 subjects from the air and ground forces. Lifestyle was evaluated with a previously validated tool and metabolic syndrome with the criteria established by the ATPIII. A descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was made with the PSPP 101 program. The hypothesis test was Chi2, considering a p value <0.05 significant. Among the relevant results, it was found that metabolic syndrome was present in 10% of the participants, 64.4% of them had a normal BMI and 31.6% were overweight. Regarding their lifestyle, 148 participants presented an adequate lifestyle, because 48% were very active, 49.2% showed a level of mild stress. 35.2% of the individuals consumed alcohol and 10% of them used tobacco; however, 62% had deficit in their dietary intake, and only 16% had an adequate diet. No statistically significant relationship was observed between lifestyle and metabolic syndrome, but it was observed that the population with an inadequate lifestyle were more likely to present 75% abdominal obesity, 42% elevated triglycerides, 70% low HDL cholesterol, and 40 % high blood pressure. It is suggested to deepen studies with nutritional interventions that show impacts on the indicators of metabolic syndrome.