Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome among Thammasat University personnel at Rangsit Campus.

Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was performed. The subjects comprised 1,100 personnels of Thammasat University who came for an annual check-up and were aged 25 years or more. They were classified as having metabolic syndrome or not based on the modified National Cholesterol Educational Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) criteria which replace waist circumference criterion with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 for females and ≥ 27 kg/m2 for males.

Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 13.45%, in which 7.91% were females and 5.54% were males. The prevalence was higher in older age groups and was greater in females than males. The risk factors of metabolic syndrome increased among personnels having elevated triglyceride levels, fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels and blood pressure as well as reduced High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels to 207.17 (95%CI: 48.14-891.52), 151.65 (95%CI: 31.11-739.31), 123.45 (95%CI: 27.64-547.84) and 117.71-fold (95%CI: 25.56-542.06), relative to normal levels, respectively. Some criteria in the modified NCEP-ATP III, which are significant risk factors for metabolic syndrome, had elevated trends with the increasing age.

Conclusion: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was related to the age. Some criteria in the modified NCEP-ATP III, especially triglyceride levels, are risk factors of metabolic syndrome and should be prevented to decrease the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.