Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time with Metabolic Syndrome in Saudi Adult Males

Abstract

Purpose

The association between objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity with metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been rarely investigated in Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the current study was to examine the association of objectively measured sedentary, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with MetS among Saudi adult males.

Materials and Methods

The study participants were 103 males from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (mean age = 54.9 ± 10.6 years). Metabolic syndrome was defined based on having three or more of cardiometabolic risk factors. Triaxial accelerometers were used to measure the time spent on sedentary and physical activities across 7 days. A minimum four days with ≥10 hours of wearing time per day were considered a valid data. Binary logistics regression models were performed to examine the association of sedentary and physical activity levels with MetS vs no MetS. Model 1 was unadjusted, models 2, 3, and 4 were mutually controlled for sedentary, light, and MVPA intensities.

Results

About 38% of males in the present study were classified as having MetS as demonstrated by a significant (p<0.05) decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and a significant (p<0.05) increase in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure, glucose, and triglycerides compared to those without MetS. In addition, low levels of LPA (less than 6.3 hours per day) were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS, independent of sedentary and MVPA (odds ratio (OR) 4.26–6.96). The results showed that the associations between sedentary tertiles and MetS were not statistically significant. Levels of MVPA were also not significantly associated with an increased risk of developing MetS in all models.

Conclusion

This study showed that low levels of LPA were significantly associated with the risk of having MetS in Saudi males from Riyadh city, independent of MVPA and sedentary time. The results suggest that future intervention studies should assess the positive effect of increasing levels of LPA in reducing the risk of developing MetS in males.

Keywords:

• accelerometer
• MetS
• sedentary time
• MVPA
• light activity

Acknowledgments

The authors are highly grateful to all Community Development Commissions of Riyadh districts who contributed to the study by contacting the older population of the community and hosting data collection. We also thank Research Support and Services Unit at Deanship of Scientific Research at KSU for the technical support.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting or revising the article, have agreed on the journal to which the article will be submitted, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this work.

Additional information

Funding

The study has received a grant through Research Group Program (RG-1439-82) from the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.