Objective To describe the prevalent characteristics of metabolic syndrome (MS) of urban and rural residents in Licheng district of Jinan and etiological association between MS and chronic diseases. Methods Data were selected from the burden survey of residents’diseases in Licheng district of Jinan in 2005,which had the completed information on plasma glucose,lipid profile,and blood pressure. Totally 2 136 subjects (892 men,1 244 women) were analyzed with IDF(2005) criteria of MS. A case control study was conducted,in which both cases and controls were chosen from identical investigated population. Results The prevalence of MS was 15.11% among residents older than 15 years old in Lichen district of Jinan,and the adjusted prevalence of MS was 10.83%; when the age ranged from 15 to 44,the prevalence of MS was higher in male; when the age was older than 45,the prevalence of MS was higher in female; the prevalence of MS increased with age (?2=64.21,P