ArticleBMC public health2026
Patterns and clusters of diet in relation to metabolic syndrome among adults in Ubungo (urban) and Kilindi (rural) districts, Tanzania: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is rising worldwide, with particularly high rates in regions undergoing rapid urbanization and dietary change, such as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, few studies have examined the relationship between dietary patterns, dietary clusters, and MetS in these transitioning communities.
objectivesTo examine the associations between dietary patterns, dietary clusters, and MetS in urban and rural Tanzania.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 379 adults in urban (Ubungo, Dar es Salaam) and rural (Kilindi, Tanga) districts. Data on demographics, medical history, and lifestyle factors were collected using validated tools. Anthropometric, blood pressure, and biochemical measurements followed the WHO STEPS survey protocols. Dietary habits were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire; dietary patterns were derived by principal component analysis (PCA) and dietary clusters by hierarchical clustering on the principal components (HCPC). Logistic regression models were used to assess associations between diet, lifestyle factors, and MetS/MetS components.
resultsPrincipal components analysis identified eight dietary patterns, including mixed, plant-rich, and processed diets. Hierarchical clustering on principal components classified participants into three dietary clusters: rural non-diverse, mixed unhealthy, and urban mixed diets. The prevalence of MetS was 47% (95% CI: 39—54) in urban areas and 38% (95%CI: 32 – 46) in rural areas (p = 0.11). High adherence (quartile 4) to the mixed diet—pattern 1 was associated with MetS. While dietary clusters were not significantly associated with MetS overall, the mixed unhealthy diet (cluster 2) was associated with two MetS components—central obesity and dyslipidemia.
conclusionThe prevalence of MetS is high in both urban and rural Tanzania, with no statistically significant difference between the two settings. Specific mixed unhealthy dietary patterns and clusters were associated with MetS, dyslipidemia and central obesity. Public health measures to address unhealthy dietary patterns and the burden of MetS are needed in both rural and urban Tanzania.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.