Abstract:
This study sought to establish the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) among active
sportsmen/sportswomen and sedentary workers in the Kumasi Metropolis using the National
Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), World Health Or-
ganization (WHO), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. The study was con-
ducted between March and April, 2010. One hundred and eighty six (186) participants were in-
volved with eighty five (85) being active sportsmen/sportswomen as study control and one hun-
dred and one (101) sedentary workers from the Kumasi metropolis as study subjects. The study
participants were recruited from a population of young and adult individuals between the ages of
19-82 years. The percentage prevalence of MetS was 1.6%, 7.4% and 14.4% when the WHO,
NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria respectively were applied on the total population. Generally, the
prevalence of MetS was significantly higher among the sedentary group i.e. 3.5%, 14.0% and
26.7% for WHO, NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria respectively as compared to the active popula-
tion i.e. 0.0%, 2.0% and 3.9% for WHO, NCEP-ATP III and IDF criteria respectively. The
prevalence of the MetS varied greatly between the active and sedentary subjects depending on
the criteria used. Central obesity appears to be the key determinant of the prevalence of the MetS
in Ghana. Preventive actions such as exercise, active lifestyles and healthy eating habits have to
be implemented to reduce the tendency to obesity and MetS in the Ghanaian populace.
