Association of physical activity volume and hypercholesterolemia in US adults

Several studies illustrate the favorable association between physical activity (PA) and cholesterol levels. There is a paucity of data examining the PA patterns of individuals with and without hypercholesterolemia (HC).

To examine self-reported moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) patterns using the most recent PA guidelines among US adults with and without HC.

Cross-sectional study utilizing a secondary data analysis approach.

We used data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). PA categories were based on the 2008 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) guidelines.

The age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported HC in US adults was 34%. When stratified by gender, the age-adjusted prevalence of HC was found to be significantly higher in men (36.2%; 95% CI 35.6, 36.8) compared with women (31.8%; 95% CI 31.3, 32.3). The age-adjusted prevalence of meeting the DHHS PA recommendation was 59.1% among participants reporting HC and 68.3% among participants not reporting HC (P < 0.05). Following adjustment for demographics and health history, the odds ratio for meeting the DHHS PA recommendation among participants with HC compared with those without HC was 0.86 (95% CI 0.83, 0.89).

Although a large proportion of adults reporting HC report engaging in a volume of MVPA necessary to meet national guidelines, their odds of meeting these guidelines and their MVPA volume may be significantly lower than adults who did not report HC.