Association between behavioural risk factors and metabolic syndrome among adult population in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

The impact of behavioural risk factors on the metabolic syndrome has not been well understood by the researchers. This information is important to the policymakers for developing effective strategies and implement relevant policies or programs. Hence, we undertook this meta-analysis to estimate the effect of behavioural risk factors on the burden of metabolic syndrome.We conducted a search in the databases, such as PubMed Central, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library, and search engines, such as ScienceDirect and Google Scholar, from inception until March 2021. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) to assess the quality of published studies. We carried out a meta-analysis with random-effects model and reported pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). In total, we analysed 30 studies with 41,090 participants. The majority of the studies had good to satisfactory quality as per NOS. Physical activity had a statistically significant association with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (pooled OR = 1.57; 95%CI: 1.28 to 1.93, I2 = 91%). However, smoking (pooled OR = 0.96; 95%CI: 0.75 to 1.23, I2 = 90.5%) and alcohol (pooled OR = 1.00; 95%CI: 0.75 to 1.33, I2 = 90.8%) did not reveal a statistically significant association with the burden of metabolic syndrome.Physical inactivity was found to be a significant risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Given the evidence, it is important that the clinicians and policymakers are alike to recommend regular physical activity among the patients and general population.