Do sociodemographic variables and cardiometabolic risk factors moderate the mere-measurement effect on physical...

Participation in an assessment may change health behavior. This "mere-measurement effect" may be used for prevention purposes. However, little is known about whether individuals' characteristics moderate the effect. The objective was to explore whether changes of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) after a cardiovascular assessment depend on sociodemographic variables and cardiometabolic risk factors.

A sample of n = 175 adults aged 40 to 65 received baseline assessment including self-administered PA and ST questionnaires and standardized measurement of blood pressure, waist circumference, and blood parameters. After 5 weeks, participants again reported PA and ST without any prior treatment or intervention. Linear regression models were used to analyze the dependence of five-week changes in PA and ST on baseline sociodemographic and cardiometabolic variables.

Men increased transport-related PA more than women (b = 9.3 MET-hours/week, P = .031). Men with higher triglycerides increased transport-related PA less than men with lower triglycerides (b = - 5.6 MET-hours/week, P = .043). Men with higher systolic blood pressure reduced ST more than those with lower systolic blood pressure (b = - 35.7 min/week, P = .028). However, this linear association ceased to exist at a level of approximately 145 mmHg (b of squared association = 1.0, P = .080). A similar relationship was found for glycated hemoglobin and ST.

The findings suggest that sex and cardiometabolic risk factors moderate mere-measurement effects on PA and ST. Researchers and practitioners using mere measurement for prevention purposes may address PA and ST according to these individual characteristics.

ClinicalTrials.govNCT02990039. Registered 7 December 2016. Retrospectively registered.