CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DIABETES CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DIABETES. 2007;31(1):34-46.

To explore geographic and demographic variation in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in Canada. The sample included 18 945 adult participants (20 to 74 years) in the Canadian Heart Health Surveys (1986 to 1992). The metabolic syndrome was defined as a cluster of 3 or more of the following: low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high triglycerides, high body mass index, high blood pressure and self-reported diabetes. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome increased from Western to Atlantic Canada. Rural, low income and low edu-cation groups typically had a high prevalence of the metabolic syndrome. In a multivariate analysis, the odds of the meta-bolic syndrome were in general inversely related to socioe-conomic status, and the relationship between educational attainment and the metabolic syndrome was particularly pro