Association of physical activity volume and hypercholesterolemia in US adults

Background: 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). Aim: To examine self-reported moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) patterns using the most recent PA guidelines among US adults with and without HC. Design: Cross-sectional study utilizing a secondary data analysis approach. Methods: 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. Results: 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). Conclusions: 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. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Physicians.