Background <p>The population of India is going through a rapid demographic transition resulting in an increase in both communicable and non-communicable diseases among different population groups including tribal communities.</p> Objective&#xa0; <p>The study aims to understand the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome in a rural tribal community of Northeast India.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals belonging to the Mising community of Dhemaji District, Assam, involving adults of both genders, residing in rural areas of the district. Data collection was done in two stages. During the first phase, information on socio-demographics, behavior, somatometric measurements, body composition, and physiological metrics was gathered. In the second phase, fasting blood samples were taken after obtaining informed consent for biochemical tests. To identify the independent risk factors influencing MS, a PCA-logistic regression model was utilized.</p> Results <p>The findings indicated that factors such as age, employment, use of smokeless tobacco, alcohol consumption, limited fruit intake, excessive red meat consumption, additional salt intake, high body mass index, elevated waist-to-hip ratio, increased waist-to-height ratio, elevated total body fat percentage, high visceral fat percentage, and elevated pulse pressure could be significant risk factors for MS. Regression analysis demonstrated that homemakers, individuals with elevated red meat consumption, increased waist-to-height ratio, high visceral fat, and elevated pulse pressure faced a significantly higher risk of developing MS.</p> Conclusions <p>Customized lifestyle interventions considering cultural aspects have the potential to be highly effective in both preventing and managing MS.</p>