Physical activity and metabolic syndrome in primary care patients in Spain

Purpose To determine the relationship between self-reported physical activity and the components of premorbid metabolic syndrome in patients treated in primary care according to sex. Methods Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on a sample of 2,359 patients without cardiovascular disease or diabetes, included in the cohort of the IBERICAN study. Using ANOVA models and adjusting for age, economic status, employment situation, level of education, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, tobacco use and alcohol consumption, we estimated the association of the variables blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood glucose and waist circumference with the self-reported level of physical activity (sedentary, moderate, high, very high). The analyses were performed stratifying by sex. Results A total of 854 men and 1,505 women with no identified diseases were included. Women were more sedentary than men (p