Relationship between metabolic syndrome and depression: A study based on Rafsanjan Youth Cohort Study

Depressed people are susceptible to metabolic syndrome ression and metabolic syndrome in the Rafsanjan Youth Cohort Study in 2021. In this cross-sectional study, the data of 3005 young people aged 15–35 under the coverage of urban and rural health centers was investigated in the enrollment stage of the Rafsanjan Youth Cohort Study as a part of the prospective epidemiological research studies in IrAN (PERSIAN). Data was collected using face-to-face interview and electronic questionnaires of the Rafsanjan Youth Cohort Study. Age of the youth was 25.78 ± 6.06 years, 56 % (n = 1682) were female. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was 7.7 % (95 % CI: 6.8 %–8.8 %) and the prevalence of depression was 11.1 % (95 % CI: 10.0 %–12.3 %). Depression did not have a significant impact on the odds ratio of developing MetS in young people (P = 0.604). The odds ratio (OR) of MetS increases by 1.057 times with increasing age (95 % CI for OR: 1.020–1.094). This OR is also 1.715 times higher in married young people than in unmarried Youth (95 % CI for OR: 1.715–2.692) and 0.196 times lower in young people with medium and high MET index than in young people with low MET index (95 % CI for OR: 0.048–0.811). Inability to determine a causal relationship between MetS and depression. Due to the growing trend of components of MetS among the young population, this issue needs to be addressed in future policies and planning for prevention and control as a health priority.