김성희1, 박재용2, 김동현3

1대구가톨릭대학교의료원 가정의학과, 2경북대학교 의학전문대학원 예방의학교실, 3한림대학교 의과대학 사회의학교실

Background: The most effective means of preventing chronic disease is known to be promoting health behaviors;
but this is difficult because health behaviors are associated with the socioeconomic status (SES). SES is
a measure of access to material resources and social resources. This study aimed to assess the association
between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and SES after controlling for health behaviors (smoking, alcohol intake,
physical activity, and diet).
Methods: 24,515 participants (8,214 men, 16,301 women) older than 40 years were recruited from the
2004-2008 Korean Health Examinee Cohort. Along with MetS components, SES and health behaviors data
were collected through individual interviews. SES was classified into tertiles (high, middle, and low groups)
measured by education and house income levels. MetS was defined using the criteria from the modified
National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel-lll (NCEP ATP-lll, 2007).
Results: Among the study subjects, the prevalences of MetS were 13.8%, 17.4%, and 25.3% in the high, middle,
and low SES groups, respectively. After controlling for age and health behaviors, the odds ratios for MetS
in the high, middle, and low SES were 1.0, 1.54 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]=1.34-1.76), and 2.01 (95%
CI=1.72-2.36), respectively, for women. This association was not seen in men.
Conclusion: SES was inversely associated with metabolic syndrome, as with health behaviors, but only for
women.

Korean J Health Promot 2013;13(4):125-132

Keywords: Socioeconomic status, Metabolic syndrome, Health behavior