Metabolic syndrome is prevalent and undiagnosed in clients attending private practice physiotherapy: a cross-sectional study
 

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors that, together, raise the risk of a person developing chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. Despite its prevalence and significance as a public health concern, it is under-recognised and opportunities to diagnose and manage it before chronic disease develops are frequently missed. 
 

Research by physiotherapist Sally Mastwyk and others at La Trobe University in Melbourne and Sheffield Hallam University in the UK shows that metabolic syndrome is prevalent and undiagnosed in clients attending private practice physiotherapy clinics offering an opportunity to identify risk and intervene to improve the overall health of their clients. 
 

The Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF) has summarised key messages from the research study’s findings featured in the October 2024 edition of InMotion and produced this infographic. 

Click on the image below to access a printable A3 file. 

References available, see Inmotion references October 2024.

This blog is a Physiotherapy Research Foundation (PRF) initiative.

About the authors

Sally Mastwyk MACP is a Lecturer at La Trobe University and is completing a PhD at La Trobe University and Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. Her research focuses on the recognition and management of metabolic syndrome in primary care physiotherapy practice.

Professor Nicholas Taylor APAM is Professor of Allied Health, a joint position between La Trobe University and Eastern Health. He leads the Allied Health Clinical Research Office at Eastern Health. His research interests focus on the role of exercise and physical activity for people with disability or injuries and how best to provide health services for rehabilitation.

Anna Lowe is a chartered physiotherapist and visiting researcher at Sheffield Hallam University. She was formerly an Associate Professor and led a number of applied physical activity research projects. Her research interests are in population health and physical activity, in particular supporting people with health conditions to become more active by embedding physical activity into healthcare systems. 

Associate Professor Caroline Dalton is a biomedical scientist at Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, and leads the Health and Disease group in the Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre. Her research interests include investigating the interactions between metabolic syndrome and mental health, and the use of lifestyle interventions to support people with health conditions.

Associate Professor Casey Peiris is a physiotherapist researcher who holds a joint position between La Trobe University and the Royal Melbourne Hospital as the Head of Allied Health Research. Her research expertise spans physiotherapy, physical activity, chronic disease and rehabilitation and she is currently leading a number of projects to improve the recognition and management of metabolic syndrome.