The health benefits of objectively measured physical activity volume versus intensity have rarely been studied, particularly in non-western populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cardiometabolic risk factors and stepping activity including; volume (step count), intensity (cadence) or inactivity (zero-steps/minute/day), in a multi-ethnic Asian population. Participants clinical data was collected at baseline and their physical activity was monitored for seven days, using an accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X+) in 2016. Tertiles (low, moderate, high) of the mean daily step count, peak one-minute, 30-min, 60-min cadences and time/day spent at zero-steps/minute were calculated. Adjusted linear regressions explored the association between stepping activity tertiles and cardiometabolic risk factors. A total of 635 participants (41% male, 67% Chinese, mean age 48.4 years) were included in the analyses. The mean daily step count was 7605 (median daily step count 7310) and 7.8 h of awake time per day were spent inactive (zero-steps/minute). A greater number of associations were found for step intensity than volume. Higher step intensity was associated with reduced body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressures and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Future health promotion initiatives should consider the greater role of step intensity to reduce cardiometabolic risk.
Keywords: cardiometabolic risk; peak cadence; physical activity; step counts.