Abstract: Objective To investigate the characteristics of metabolic syndrome(MS) in the elderly population aged 60 and over in Nanjing, and to investigate the influencing factors of MS. Methods From April to October 2017, a total of 15 545 residents aged ≥60 years were selected in Nanjing by multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. The prevalence characteristics of MS was descriptively analyzed, and the influencing factors of MS were analyzed by Logistic regression model. Results The prevalence of MS in the elderly aged ≥60 years was 28.3%(95%CI: 27.6%-29.0%) in Nanjing. The prevalence was higher in those aged 70-79 years than that in those aged 60-69 years and ≥80 years, being higher in urban areas than that in suburban areas, being higher in those with insufficient physical activity than that in those with adequate physical activity, being higher in those with family history of hypertension or diabetes than that in those without. Among the five components of MS, hypertension had the highest prevalence(60.8%), followed by central obesity(39.1%), hypertriglyceridemia(33.9%), hyperglycemia(33.3%) and low high-density lipoproteinemia(14.7%). Logistic regression analysis showed that aged 70-79 years, family history of hypertension and diabetes were the risk factors for MS, while living in suburban area and sufficient physical activity were the protective factors. Conclusions The prevalence of MS in the elderly population in Nanjing is high. Tailored interventions are encouraged for people aged 70-79 years or those with family history of hypertension and diabetes.

Key words: metabolic syndrome, aged, risk factor, epidemiological characteristic