Comparison between walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: associations with metabolic syndrome components in Korean older adults

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with walking in terms of associations with metabolic syndrome components in Korean older adults. METHODS: Data on 1,388 older adults (age ≥65 years) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2018 were analyzed in this study. MVPA time and walking time per week were used as physical activity variables and blood pressure, waist circumference, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were analyzed as metabolic syndrome components. Partial correlations, analysis of covariance, and multinomial logistic regression were used for statistical analysis after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the low MVPA/high walking and high MVPA/high walking groups than in the low MVPA/low walking group. Triglyceride levels were significantly lower in the high MVPA/high walking group than in the low MVPA/low walking and low MVPA/high walking groups. Engaging in <150 min/wk of MVPA increased the likelihood of abnormal blood pressure and metabolic syndrome by 1.81 times and 1.89 times, respectively, compared to ≥150 min/wk of MVPA. Engaging in <180 min/wk of walking raised the likelihood of having abnormal high-density lipoprotein levels by 1.32 times compared to ≥180 min/wk of walking. CONCLUSIONS: Not only MVPA but also walking was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome components in Korean older adults. Considering older adults’ preferences and exercise barriers, walking should be considered as an essential component of physical activity guidelines to prevent chronic diseases in older adults.