Physical Activity and Prevalence of Functional Dyspepsia in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Physical inactivity is related to the development of functional dyspepsia (FD); however, the available evidence about association between physical activity (PA) levels with risk of FD is scarce and indecisive. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate this association in enormous number of Iranian adult people.

This study was conducted on 4763 general public adults in Isfahan, Iran. The data of the present study are collected from SEPAHAN study of Isfahan city. The PA levels were estimated using general practice physical activity questionnaire (GPPAQ). The presence of FD was explored using a modified Persian version of the ROME III questionnaire. In addition, the association of PA and FD according to diagnostic symptoms including postprandial fullness, early satiation, and epigastric pain separately was analyzed.

Totally, 22.2% (n = 748) of study participants had FD. Participants were classified to two groups based on their daily physical activity: 1. moderately inactive and inactive and 2. moderately active and active. Participants those have lower levels of physical activity were more likely to have functional dyspepsia compared with those who had higher level of activity (OR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.09-1.53, P value: 0.004). Low-level physical activity tended to be associated with an increased prevalence of FD in women (OR = 1.23; 95%, CI: 0.98-1.54, P value: 0.06). After controlling for all confounders, we found that subjects with low PA were 16% more likely to have epigastric pain (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.00-1.34, P value: 0.03) and early satiation (OR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.07-1.47, P value: 0.005) compared with those who had high-level PA.

Conclusively, in fully adjusted models, there was marginally significant association between PA level and FD.