RESEARCH ARTICLE SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE 8 VOLUME 19 NUMBER 1 • July 2022 risk factors exist and they can be individually treated. Due to the clustering of these risk factors, the individual has to take several types of medication to treat each factor. The increased medication burden could lead to increased cost, increased side effects and contribute to poor adherence. This leaves lifestyle modification as the most viable intervention to be pursued, through community-based educational programmes aiming towards behavioural change, and ultimately increasing physical activity. Regular physical activity has been found to successfully mitigate all MetS risk factors.34,35 A life-course prevention approach for both men and women should be encouraged as it has been shown to mitigate NCDs later in life.36 Although considered a useful screening tool, a single biochemical measurement could be viewed as a limitation of this study. It was not possible to obtain fasting blood samples for all participants and hence we did not control for this. The results were based on random blood sampling in an apparently healthy population, of which their MetS status has never been investigated in Botswana. Conclusion This study uncovered a high prevalence of the MetS among Batswana women in an age-dependent fashion and an alarmingly high prevalence in the younger group of Batswana adults. The most prevalent components were identified as central obesity and low HDL-C levels in women and HTN among men. The presence of dyslipidaemia needs close attention as it appeared to be quite prevalent among apparently healthy adults; especially since it is not routinely checked during hospital visits, as is BP. If risk factors leading to the MetS are not identified and sustainable preventative measures put into place, this could lead to far-reaching public health consequences. Therefore, there is a need to establish guidelines that provide strategic planning and appropriate public health measures to prevent and control the MetS. Development of a comprehensive national policy addressing the risk factors of the MetS through an integrated multi-sectorial approach is recommended. There should be increased promotion of healthy lifestyles and all health programmes should include a preventative element. The programmes should drive all the focus towards risk reduction, fighting obesity, developing healthpromotion legislation, promoting regular physical exercise and ultimately providing periodic basic screening tests. The authors acknowledge the participants and research assistants for their contribution towards the success of the study. The shopping mall owners are also acknowledged for allowing recruiting and data collection on their premises. 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