Association between fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and metabolic syndrome among clinical adult patients
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors, including central obesity, impaired fasting glucose, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to examine the association between fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and metabolic syndrome among adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 adults recruited from Maros District Regional Hospital using purposive sampling. Fruit and vegetable intake were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ). Physical activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and categorized based on MET-minutes/week. Metabolic syndrome was defined using standard criteria. Associations were analyzed using Chi-square tests. The results indicated that most participants had low fruit consumption (73.3%) and vegetable intake (76.6%). Over half (51.7%) engaged in low physical activity. Significant associations were observed between fruit intake (p=0.003) and vegetable intake (p=0.001) with metabolic syndrome. Physical activity was not significantly associated (p=0.219). Low fruit and vegetable intake was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome among adult hospital patients. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because the study population may not represent the general community.