Perceived occupational stress and metabolic syndrome among school teachers in northern Peru: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Occupational stress may contribute to cardiometabolic dysregulation, but evidence linking perceived stress to metabolic syndrome (MetS) among school teachers remains limited, particularly in Latin America. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 40 teachers from two educational institutions in Trujillo, northern Peru. MetS was defined using harmonized criteria, and occupational stress was assessed with the Spanish ED-6 Teacher Stress Scale. Analyses included Fisher's exact test, Spearman correlations with Benjamini–Hochberg adjustment, and Firth penalized logistic regression using the standardized overall stress score as the primary exposure. Results MetS was present in 53% of participants (95% CI: 38–67%). MetS prevalence did not differ significantly across empirical stress quintiles ( p = 0.190). The overall stress score was not associated with MetS in the unadjusted model (OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.54–1.85; p = 0.997) or after adjustment for age and sex (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.57–1.92; p = 0.897). Work-related pressure correlated positively with fasting glucose (ρ = 0.351; p = 0.027), and demotivation correlated inversely with triglycerides (ρ = −0.317; p = 0.046); however, neither association remained significant after multiplicity correction (q = 0.975). Conclusion Overall occupational stress was not associated with MetS in this sample. Larger multicenter and longitudinal studies are needed to estimate this relationship with greater precision.