Evaluation of metabolic syndrome prevalence in semi-rural areas of Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and clustering of components of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in semi-rural areas of Central Anatolia, Turkey.

Methods: This study was conducted between January and August 2008 on a randomly selected sample of participants from semi-rural settlement areas of the Eskisehir province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. The MetS was diagnosed as the presence of 3, or more risk factors according to the National Cholesterol Education Program-Expert Panel Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) criteria.