Comparison of Leisure Time Physical Activities by Metabolic Syndrome Status among Adolescents

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of premature morbidity and mortality. Physical activity (PA) beneficially affects MetS; however, it is unclear if PA types differ among adolescents 12–15 years old, according to their MetS status. This study compared self-reported PA types by MetS status. Methods: Using the 2015–2016 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) data, 664 adolescents self-reported PA in the past seven days. MetS status was assessed using Ford’s pediatric adaptation of the ATP-III adult criteria. Pearson chi-square and t-tests were conducted to determine self-reported PA differences. Results: The adolescents’ mean age was 13.47 years (95% CIs; 13.04, 14.38) and 52.69% were male (352). Twenty-seven (4.07%) adolescents were MetS positive. The prevalence of PA engagement in the past seven days was similar for MetS-positive and -negative adolescents (77.67% and 70.51%, respectively; p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed for PA type by MetS status. MetS-positive adolescents reported higher sedentary time (565.77 [438.99, 692.56] vs. 490.59 [377.86, 603.33] minutes per day, respectively; p = 0239). Conclusions: Engagement in specific PA types does not appear to differ by MetS status, but MetS-positive adolescents have significantly higher sedentary time. PA promotion should target a variety of activities to maximize the effectiveness of public health programs and interventions should target reducing sedentary time.