Metabolic Syndrome and its Risk Factors in Bangladeshi Immigrant Men in the USA

Higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors and lowest self-rated health status (SRHS) were reported in Bangladeshi men compared to other South Asian immigrant men in the UK. No information is available on metabolic syndrome and its distribution among Bangladeshi men in the USA. We investigated metabolic syndrome, its association with SRHS and its distribution in Bangladeshi men in Houston, Texas, USA. Data for 91 men (age 46 +/- 8 years) were drawn from a cross-sectional study on coronary artery disease in Bangladeshi immigrant men, Texas, 2007. Multivariate logistic models investigated association between metabolic syndrome and SRHS controlling for demographics, behavioral factors and intra-community variation based on social clustering. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 38%. SRHS (OR, 95% CI = 4.90, 1.11-21.57) and intra-community variation (4.10, 1.32-12.71) were independent indicators of metabolic syndrome in our participants. Dietary habits may have contributed to the intra-community variation that warrants investigation.