Comparison Of Total MVPA Versus MVPA In Bout Of At Least 10 Minutes In Adults With Obesity.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended adults engage in >150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) in bouts of >10 minutes to elicit numerous health benefits. However, the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines recommends that all MVPA, regardless of bout length, contribute to the desired MVPA goal as this also elicits health benefits. PURPOSE: This study examined whether the number of adults meeting the public health recommendation of 150 min/week of MVPA differed based on the criteria that considered all minutes or minutes that were only accumulated in bouts of >10 minutes. METHODS: Baseline data from 377 adults with obesity (age=45.5±8.0 years; BMI=32.2±3.8 kg/m2) who enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program were analyzed. Participants reported not engaging in regular structured exercise that exceeded 60 min/week. Participants were instructed to wear an activity monitor (SenseWear Armband) for 7 days while maintaining their regular activity prior to initiating the intervention. Data were considered valid if the activity monitor was worn for >10 hours per day on at least 4 days. These data from the activity monitor were used to identify total minutes of MVPA that met the criteria of >3 METs regardless of bout length and total minutes of MVPA that was accumulated in bouts >10 minutes. RESULTS: Median minutes of total MVPA was 244 (25th, 75th percentiles: 118.0, 458.0) min/week. Median minutes of MVPA in bouts >10 minutes was 103 (25th, 75th percentiles: 27.5, 232.5) min/week. Both total MVPA (-0.327, p<0.001) and MVPA in bouts >10 minutes (-0.275m p<0.001) were correlated with BMI using the Spearman Rank Order procedure. The proportion of adults engaging in >150 min/week meeting was 67.4% when total minutes of MVPA was considered and 39.8% when minutes of MVPA in bouts >10 minutes was considered. CONCLUSION: The proportion of adults with overweight or obesity meeting the recommended 150 minutes per week of MVPA will vary based on whether total MVPA or MVPA in bouts >10 minutes is used to determine engagement. However, both total MVPA and MVPA resulting from bout >10 minutes may contribute to a lower BMI. These findings may have implications for evaluation of and recommendations for MVPA that may impact body weight regulation.