Lifestyle Behaviors in Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Overweight and Obese Women: A Preliminary Study

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 9; p. e0138548
• Main Authors: Camhi, Sarah M, Crouter, Scott E, Hayman, Laura L, Must, Aviva, Lichtenstein, Alice H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 18.09.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Adult; African Americans; Behavior; Blood pressure; Body mass; Body Mass Index; Body weight; C-reactive protein; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Care and treatment; Cholesterol; Diabetes; Diet; Dietary intake; Ethnicity; Exercise; Exercise - psychology; Family medical history; Fats; Feeding Behavior; Female; Food intake; Health aspects; Health care; Health risks; Humans; Hypertension; Insulin; Life Style; Minority & ethnic groups; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - psychology; Overweight; Overweight - psychology; Personal health; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Questionnaires; Race; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Sedentary behavior; Sedentary Lifestyle; Smoking; Studies; Trans fatty acids; Vegetable fibers; Vegetables; Wear; White people; Women; Womens health; Young Adult; United States > US; Massachusetts
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138548

Few studies have examined dietary data or objective measures of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior among metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese (MUO). Thus, the purpose is to determine whether PA, sedentary behavior and/or diet differ between MHO and MUO in a sample of young women. Forty-six overweight/obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) African American and Caucasian women 19-35 years were classified by cardiometabolic risk factors, including elevated blood pressure, triglyceride, glucose and C-reactive protein, low high density lipoprotein, and insulin resistance (MUO ≥2; MHO, <2). Time (mins/day) in light, moderate, vigorous PA, and sedentary behavior were estimated using an accelerometer (≥3 days; ≥8 hrs wear time). Questionnaires were used to quantify sitting time, TV/computer use and usual daily activity. The Block Food Frequency Questionnaire assessed dietary food intake. Differences between MHO and MUO for lifestyle behaviors were tested with linear regression (continuous data) or logistic regression (categorical data) after adjusting for age, race, BMI, smoking and accelerometer wear and/or total kilocalories, as appropriate. Women were 26.7±4.7 years, with a mean BMI of 31.1±3.7 kg/m2, and 61% were African American. Compared to MUO (n = 9), MHO (n = 37; 80%) spent less mins/day in sedentary behavior (difference: -58.1±25.5, p = 0.02), more mins/day in light PA (difference: 38.2±16.1, p = 0.02), and had higher daily METs (difference: 0.21±0.09, p = 0.03). MHO had higher fiber intakes (g/day of total fiber, soluble fiber, fruit/vegetable fiber, bean fiber) and daily servings of vegetables; but lower daily dairy servings, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and trans fats (g/day) compared to MUO. Compared to MUO, MHO young women demonstrate healthier lifestyle habits with less sedentary behavior, more time in light PA, and healthier dietary quality for fat type and fiber. Future studies are needed to replicate findings with larger samples that include men and women of diverse race/ethnic groups.