THE METABOLIC SYNDROME AMONG PRESCHOOL AND SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN CRETE IN THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 21ST CENTURY

In Greece as well as worldwide, studies on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children/ adolescents began to take place in the second half of the 20 century. It was indicated that the prevalence of MetS is mostly predicted by the presence of obesity and particularly abdominal obesity. A previous Greek study showed that the prevalence of MetS was higher in overweight/obese children compared to normal weight controls. Recently, a Greek National Epidemiological Survey found a prevalence of high abdominal obesity among children 6-12 years old, higher than that recently reported from other European countries. Crete, a Greek island known for its favorable health status in the 1960s, experienced a rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity between 1982 and 2002, assumed to also be accompanied by increases in MetS prevalence. To our knowledge, only one previous study has examined the prevalence of MetS among Cretan children, this carried out during the period 2001-2003. Such studies are important from a public health perspective, since identification of MetS factors that predispose to morbidity could help public health professionals to develop more effective preventive measures. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of MetS in a school-based sample of school children and adolescents in Crete extending the above period to 2011.