Table 1. Background Characteristics of participants.
| Characteristic (%) | MetS-W a | MetS-I b | MetS-A c | No MetS d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 382 | 771 | 663 | 2617 |
| Females | 40.1 | 46.0 | 40.8 | 58.0 |
| Education >9 years | 85.1 | 88.9 | 88.5 | 93.6 |
| Never smokers | 37.2 | 43.3 | 44.6 | 45.0 |
| ETS exposure | 49.5 | 46.3 | 46.4 | 46.7 |
| Occupational exposure to VGDF | 45.0 | 45.2 | 45.1 | 42.4 |
| Alcohol intake: None | 13.1 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 |
| ≤ once/day | 72.2 | 76.4 | 75.3 | 81.7 |
| > once/day | 14.7 | 13.7 | 14.8 | 8.4 |
| Citrus fruits intake: None | 12.8 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 7.6 |
| ≤3days/week | 54.2 | 54.5 | 55.7 | 56.8 |
| >3days/week | 33.0 | 36.0 | 35.6 | 35.6 |
| Fruit intake: None | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| ≤3days/week | 26.4 | 30.2 | 30.8 | 33.7 |
| >3days/week | 71.5 | 67.7 | 67.1 | 64.2 |
| Raw vegetables intake: None | 0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| ≤3days/week | 20.7 | 18.0 | 18.6 | 18.5 |
| >3days/week | 79.3 | 81.0 | 80.7 | 80.8 |
| Vigorous physical activity ≥0.5hours/week | 42.7 | 53.0 | 52.8 | 60.1 |
| Impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG) e | 100 | 56.3 | 67.8 | 7.9/20.7 h |
| Low high-density lipoproteins (HDL) f | 41.6 | 51.1 | 65.6 | 6.9/14.7 h |
| High triglycerides | 91.6 | 83.4 | 89.4 | 34.3 |
| Obesity (BMI>30kg/m2) | 49.0 | 36.4 | 34.0 | 9.3 |
| Hypertension g | 81.9 | 82.4 | 82.0 | 25.5/36.3 h |
| Area: | ||||
| Basel | 13.4 | 11.3 | 10.0 | 10.6 |
| Wald | 14.6 | 13.7 | 16.5 | 16.1 |
| Davos | 2.6 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 9.1 |
| Lugano | 25.1 | 17.6 | 19.8 | 17.3 |
| Montana | 5.2 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 11.6 |
| Payerne | 14.7 | 15.2 | 12.3 | 11.9 |
| Aarau | 16.0 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 13.6 |
| Geneva | 8.4 | 8.9 | 9.1 | 9.9 |
| Mean (SD) | ||||
| Age (years) | 61.4(7.3) | 58.1 (9.1) | 57.9 (9.2) | 51.2 (11.5) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 30.3(4.9) | 29.1(3.9) | 28.7 (4.0) | 24.8 (3.9) |
| Predicted waist circumference (cm) | 100.7 (11.9) | 100.3 (10.6) | 98.8 (11.7) | 83.5 (11.4) |
| Neighborhood SEI | 61.7(10.3) | 62.5(9.9) | 62.9 (9.5) | 63.2 (10.0) |
| Pack-years of cigarettes smoked | 15.9(24.7) | 13.4(22.4) | 13.6 (22.2) | 9.8 (16.6) |
| 10-year PM10 (μg/m3) | 25.0(7.4) | 22.7(7.9) | 22.8 (8.1) | 22.2 (7.8) |
| 10-year NO2 (μg/m3) | 29.9(11.4) | 27.6(11.6) | 27.5 (11.8) | 27.2 (11.3) |
MetS-W: World Health Organization-defined metabolic syndrome. MetS-I: International Diabetes Federation-defined metabolic syndrome. MetS-A: Adult Treatment Panel III-defined metabolic syndrome. ETS: environmental tobacco smoke. VGDF: vapours, gases, dusts or fumes. SEI: socio-economic index expressed as a percentage. PM10: particulate matter <10μm in diameter from all sources. NO2: nitrogen dioxide.
adefined as IFG and any two of central obesity, hypertension, low HDL and high triglycerides.
bdefined as central obesity and any two of IFG, hypertension, low HDL and high triglycerides.
cdefined as any three of IFG, central obesity, hypertension, low HDL and high triglycerides.
d defined as not having a, b and c.
edefined by WHO as fasting blood glucose≥6.1mmol/L and/or diagnosis of type2diabetes; and by IDF and ATP-III as fasting blood glucose≥5.6mmol/L and/or diagnosis of type2diabetes. High triglycerides defined as fasting triglycerides≥1.7mmol/L or treatment for this condition.
f defined by WHO as ≤ 0.9 mmol/L (males), ≤ 1.0 mmol/L (females); and by IDF and ATP-III as < 1.03 mmol/L (males), < 1.29 mmol/L (females), or treatment for this condition.
gdefined by WHO as ≥140/90, or treatment of previously diagnosed hypertension; and by IDF and ATP-III as blood pressure >130/85 mm Hg or previously diagnosed hypertension.
hproportion in controls according to MetS-W/ MetS-I or MetS-A criteria respectively.