Thesis (M.Sc. in Pharm.)--Chulalongkorn University, 2011

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the relationship between breakfast consumption and metabolic syndrome in working age population in Kanchanaburi Province. There were 373 participants (163 males and 210 females). The diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The data were collected from blood biochemical test, blood pressure measurement, waist circumference measurement, and questionnaires for evaluating the relationship between breakfast consumption and metabolic syndrome by multiple logistic regression. The results showed that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome defined by the NCEP ATP III and IDF were 28.4 and 22.5% respectively. The analysis of the relationship between risk factors and metabolic syndrome showed that the factors which were significantly associated with increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome included female (OR = 3.36, p = 0.036), age of 50-59 years (OR = 5.69, p = 0.027), physical inactivity (OR = 2.98, p = 0.024), obesity (OR = 12.89, p < 0.001 ), consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage more than three days per week (OR = 1.92, p = 0.039), intake of low-fat milk three days or less per week (OR = 2.35, p = 0.009), and skipping breakfast (OR = 7.82, p < 0.001). In addition, the study found that the individuals who did not eat breakfast had more risks of large waist circumference (OR = 2.58, p < 0.05), high blood triglyceride level (OR = 3.43, p < 0.001), and high blood glucose level (OR = 2.66, p < 0.05) but low blood HDL-cholesterol level (OR = 4.24, p < 0.001) than those who ate breakfast daily. This study illustrated that the dietary pattern, especially breakfast consumption, was an important factor that influenced the development of metabolic syndrome in working age population. Therefore, some dietary patterns should be modified, including an increase in frequency of consumption of breakfast and low-fat milk and a decrease in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverage to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.