Movement behaviors and cardiorespiratory fitness - a cross-sectional compositional data analysis among German adults.

Background: We investigated associations of movement behaviors (moderate-vigorous physical activity, light physical activity, and stationary time) with various parameters measured during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. We applied compositional data analysis to account for the relative contributions of different movement behaviors to the overall time budget of the waking day.

Methods: We used data from 1,396 participants of the cross-sectional population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND-1), who provided valid accelerometer data worn on the hip for seven days during waking hours and participated in cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a cycle ergometer (n = 1,396 participants with a mean age of 57.1 (SD 13.2, 51% men). Linear regression models applying compositional data analysis were used to examine associations of proportions of movement behaviors (exposure) with parameters derived during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (outcome) normalized for body weight and stratified by sex. Models were adjusted for age, education, smoking, and partnership, except the %predicted VOpeak model, where age was omitted, as it is part of the calculation of the %predicted VOpeak. In models examining Opulse or HRmax, individuals using beta blockers were excluded.

Results: In males and females, more time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with greater VOVT1, VOpeak, and VO recovery after 60 s (all p < 0.01). Greater moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was also related to higher %predicted VOpeak and maximum heart rate in males and to higher VO/work in females (all p < 0.01). In both sexes, more time in stationary time was associated with less %predicted VOpeak (p < 0.01). More light intensity physical activity was associated to higher %predicted VOpeak in both sexes and with lower VO/work in women (all p < 0.01). Greater stationary time was related to less VO/work, VOVT1, and VOpeak in males and to less VO recovery after 60 s and Opulse in females (p values < 0.05).

Conclusion: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (positive) and stationary time (inverse) influence parameters derived during cardiopulmonary exercise testing irrespective of age, smoking, and living in a relationship. The sex specific effects were rather small. Hence, promoting physical activity should be encouraged to increase cardiorespiratory fitness.