Association of Education, Health Behaviors, Concerns, and Knowledge with Metabolic Syndrome among Urban Elderly in One Medical Center in Taiwan

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of education, health behaviors, concerns, and knowledge with metabolic syndrome (MetS) among urban elderly living in northern Taiwan. Methods: A total of 1181 participants (405 men, 34.3%; 766 women, 65.7%) were surveyed. MetS was defined using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII). An empirical model consisting of education, health behaviors, concerns, knowledge, and MetS was estimated. Results: A total of 34.4 percent of the respondents (405 persons) met the criteria for MetS. High education level was associated with reduced odds of MetS [senior high school: odds ratio (OR) = 0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.28–0.88; college: OR = 0.45, 95% CI, 0.25–0.85)]. The health behaviors of regularly monitoring waist circumference and blood pressure were associated with reduced odds of MetS (OR = 0.58, 95% CI, 0.51–0.64; OR = 0.61, 95% CI, 0.41–0.89). When the total health knowledge score was higher, the odds of MetS were lower (OR = 0.98, 95% CI, 0.97–0.99). It was found that each additional point on a scale of hypertension and diabetes knowledge was associated with 7% and 8% reductions of the MetS odds, respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that high education level influences the odds of MetS. The development of health education programs that can enhance prevention and self-monitoring for MetS by providing the knowledge and behaviors is appropriate for an elderly population living in Taiwan.