ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) in a rural population in Brazil, to verify its association with sociodemographic, labor, lifestyle, and health factors. Subjects and methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 790 farmers in the state of Espírito Santo/Brazil. Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) was calculated and a cut-off point of Ln 4.52 was used. A hierarchical logistic regression for the association of insulin resistance with sociodemographic, labor, lifestyle and health variables of farmers living in Espírito Santo was performed. Results: The prevalence of insulin resistance was 33.7% (n = 266), and the association with insulin resistance was found in the age group 31 to 40 years of age (OR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.19-2.87); in smokers or former smokers (OR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.08-2.48) and overweight (OR = 3.06; 95% CI 2.22-4.23). Conclusion: The prevalence of insulin resistance was high in a rural population of Brazil, and was mainly associated with age, smoking and obesity. The use of TyG as an instrument for assessing the health of individuals living in areas where access to health services is difficult, such as rural areas, can represent an important advance in terms of health promotion, protection and recovery. In addition, by identifying the risk factors associated with IR, as well as their consequences, a more adequate scheme for the prevention and treatment of these comorbidities can be defined.

ABSTRACT Objective: Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the cutoff point of the TyG index for the diagnosis of insulin resistance (IR), according to two different diagnostic criteria of metabolic syndrome in a rural Brazilian population. Materials and methods: The study population consisted of 790 family farmers from 18 to 59 years old. The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG index) was calculated, and the Metabolic Syndrome was defined using the NCEP-ATPIII and IDF criteria. Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the association of quantitative and qualitative variables. When the qualitative variable had three or more categories, the comparison between the means was performed by the Kruskal-Wallis test (using the Mann-Whitney U Test two by two to identify the differences). For correlations, Spearman’s correlation test was used. The cutoff values of TyG index for MetS were obtained using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis with the area under the curve (AUC) and the Youden Index. Results: The median TyG values increased according to the aggregation of the components of MetS. The AUCs and Youden’s cutoff point for TyG index according to the NCEP and IDF diagnostic criteria were 0.873, Ln 4.52 (sensitivity: 84.30%; specificity: 75.75%), and 0.867, Ln 4.55 (sensitivity: 80.0%; specificity: 79.82%), respectively. Conclusion: A cutoff point of Ln 4.52 was defined, and it can be used both in clinical practice and epidemiological studies. It represents an important tool for promotion, protection and recovery health of rural populations.