Fatores associados à síndrome metabólica em usuários da atenção primária à saúde no oeste catarinense: um estudo transversal

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in overweight adult users of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted at the Centro de Saúde da Família Quedas do Palmital. Twenty-six adult participants with a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25 kg/m² were included, recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and electronic medical record review. MetS diagnosis was established based on the National Cholesterol Education Program – Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP–ATP III) criteria. Statistical analysis included Spearman correlation for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables, with a significance level of 5%. Among the 19 participants with sufficient data for diagnostic classification, 12 (63.2%) met criteria for MetS. Of the 7 unclassifiable participants, 5 (71.4%) had no recent laboratory results recorded in their medical records. The biochemical and blood pressure parameters of the sample were at the median diagnostic thresholds for multiple syndrome components, with triglycerides of 151.00 mg/dL and systolic blood pressure of 130 mmHg. No sociodemographic or behavioral variable showed a statistically significant association with MetS, except for self-reported bean consumption (p=0.010) and fresh fruit intake (p=0.048), a paradoxical finding attributed to social desirability bias amplified by the interventional context of data collection. Correlations between BMI and metabolic parameters followed biologically consistent directions without reaching statistical significance. The findings suggest that MetS screening in the local PHC setting occurs opportunistically, without a systematic protocol, compromising early identification of at-risk individuals. Linking overweight and obesity diagnoses to periodic laboratory screening for MetS represents a low- cost strategy with relevant potential impact in the primary care setting.