Metabolic syndrome severity scoring using confirmatory factor analysis in Jordanian adults
Keywords:
Metabolic syndrome, severity score, confirmatory factor analysis, adult, Jordanian populationAbstract
Background and aim: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a significant health concern with specified diagnostic criteria. Determining the severity of MetS and screening individuals with pre-MetS pose challenges. MetS severity score (MetSSS) is a new assessment method developed to better manage and diagnose MetS. The study aimed to design a MetS severity score (MetSSS) equation specific to Jordanian adults based on sex and age.
Methods: 428 participants were recruited for MetSSS calculations in this cross-sectional study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of a single MetS factor allowed differential loadings across groups to generate sex- and age-specific, continuous MetSSS was performed.
Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) exhibited the highest factor loading contributing factors in MetSSS, followed by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). In contrast, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and triglycerides (TG) had the lowest factor loadings across the MetS components for the total population. Results showed a strongly positive correlation between MetSSS and body mass index (BMI) (r=0.617, p<0.001), demonstrating the link between MetS and obesity. MetSSS effectively predicted traditional MetS and its components, as validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Notably, there was a progressive increase in mean MetSSS with the accumulation of MetS components, highlighting its ability to reflect disease severity.
Conclusion: The MetSSS offers a promising tool for clinicians to screen at-risk individuals and is more sensitive than traditional MetS diagnosis methods. Its potential for clinical application in identifying high-risk patients, determining main factors, motivating lifestyle change, and tracking treatment progress is significant.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ala'a Abu-Shaweesh, Buthaina Alkhatib, Lana M. Agraib
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