Considering prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (21%) among this population according to the NCEPATP III (2001) diagnostic criteria, a representative sample was identified (Dean, 2007) to be 216; thus, 216 individuals were to be
assessed, divided by gender into two groups of 108, with a significance level of 5%. The individuals were selected randomly at the waiting room of the Family Health Strategy Unit. The project was approved by the School of Medicine of Botucatu/UNESP research ethics committee, under protocol number 322/08.