Introduction and Purpose: Regular physical activity and healthy nutrition are key factors in the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome, significantly reducing the risk of chronic diseases. This study aims to compare physical activity levels and adherence to the Mediterranean diet among individuals with metabolic syndrome and pre-metabolic syndrome, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the metabolic syndrome questionnaire in predicting biochemical and physiological indicators in these individuals.
Materials and Methods: Random and cluster sampling methods were employed to select the city and healthcare centers. Thirty individuals with metabolic syndrome were randomly selected for blood sample collection. The participants included 362 individuals with metabolic syndrome and 190 with pre-metabolic syndrome, divided into two age groups: 30–60 years and over 60 years. Physical activity and nutritional habits were assessed using the short-form physical activity questionnaire and the Mediterranean diet questionnaire. Bland–Altman analysis was utilized to validate the metabolic syndrome questionnaire; ANOVA tests were conducted to examine mean differences in variables and the multiple effects of cities, while Pearson correlation was applied to analyze linear relationships between variables.
Results: Individuals with metabolic syndrome demonstrated higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p ≤ 0.001). No significant difference in the metabolic syndrome risk score was observed between the two age groups. A negative and very weak correlation was found between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and metabolic syndrome (r = 0.12, p > 0.05). The metabolic syndrome questionnaire was effective in predicting the laboratory indices associated with metabolic syndrome.
Conclusion: The questionnaire may be used for the early detection of metabolic syndrome; however, for comprehensive validation, longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are recommended. Additionally, the findings highlight the importance of lifestyle modifications, including improvements in dietary patterns and increased physical activity, for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome.