Table 2.
Energy expenditure (MET hour/week) in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) between MetS (n = 333) vs. non-MetS (n = 144) participants by sex, age, civil status, education level, adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and body mass index (BMI). Physical activity is divided in light-moderate activity (<6 MET) and vigorous activity (≥6 MET).
| Total Activity | Light-Moderate Activity | Vigorous Activity | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetS | Non-MetS | p-Value | MetS | Non-MetS | p-Value | MetS | Non-MetS | p-Value | |||||||
| Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | Mean ± SD | Median (IQR) | ||||
| Total | 60.5 ± 48.0 | 45.9 (63.0) | 103.1 ± 140.1 | 83.9 (46.2) | <0.001 | 56.7 ± 47.2 | 43.9 (60.3) | 84.6 ± 136.4 | 68.6 (42.3) | <0.001 | 3.8 ± 9.2 | 0.9 (4.3) | 18.5 ± 27.9 | 9.0 (17.6) | <0.001 |
| Gender | |||||||||||||||
| Men | 60.8 ± 49.9 | 45.6 (60.8) | 122.8 ± 207.5 | 83.5 (57.1) | <0.001 | 55.7 ± 49.0 | 42.3 (59.8) | 93.4 ± 203.9 l | 61.4 (54.3) | 0.005 | 5.1 ± 11.7 l | 1.9 (4.7) | 29.4 ± 37.7 l | 10.1 (34.8) | <0.001 |
| Women | 60.2 ± 45.7 | 46.0 (62.9) | 87.7 ± 34.0 | 84.3 (44.3) | <0.001 | 57.8 ± 45.1 | 45.6 (60.6) | 77.6 ± 30.6 l | 73.4 (38.4) | <0.001 | 2.3 ± 4.1 l | 0.9 (3.1) | 10.1 ± 11.2 l | 4.7 (13.1) | <0.001 |
| Age | |||||||||||||||
| 55–64 | 49.6 ± 41.8 a,b | 36.9 (59.3) | 120.1 ± 204.9 | 86.2 (61.7) | <0.001 | 45.7 ± 40.3 a,b | 34.4 (58.7) | 92.0 ± 201.6 b | 60.0 (43.2) | <0.001 | 3.9 ± 10.7 | 1.4 (4.6) | 28.1 ± 36.8 b | 10.2 (33.6) | <0.001 |
| 65–69 | 73.6 ± 50.7 a | 59.6 (73.3) | 88.5 ± 43.3 | 81.2 (43.1) | 0.037 | 69.2 ± 49.7 a | 52.7 (68.6) | 75.5 ± 35.9 | 75.6 (37.3) | 0.157 | 4.4 ± 8.6 | 1.4 (4.7) | 13.0 ± 17.0 | 5.4 (16.7) | <0.001 |
| ≥70 | 66.2 ± 52.1 b | 51.3 (50.8) | 90.8 ± 35.9 | 82.8 (42.5) | <0.001 | 63.4 ± 52.6 b | 48.0 (46.8) | 82.8 ± 33.5 b | 76.5 (38.5) | <0.001 | 2.8 ± 5.7 | 0.9 (2.9) | 8.0 ± 7.8 b | 5.0 (12.5) | <0.001 |
| Civil status | |||||||||||||||
| Single | 54.5 ± 33.5 | 43.69 (50.3) | 384.4 ± 723.0 | 71.9 (848.6) | 0.445 | 53.0 ± 33.2 | 43.7 (48.4) | 371.0 ± 715.8 | 62.9 (824.8) | 0.612 | 1.6 ± 2.0 | 0.5 (4.3) | 13.4 ± 15.5 | 5.2 (29.0) | 0.066 |
| Married | 64.1 ± 50.5 | 51.2 (62.1) | 96.7 ± 50.5 | 88.4 (48.1) | <0.001 | 59.8 ± 49.7 | 45.0 (60.6) | 76.1 ± 39.0 | 72.8 (45.2) | <0.001 | 4.3 ± 10.2 | 1.4 (4.7) | 20.6 ± 28.5 c | 9.6 (22.4) | <0.001 |
| Divorced | 39.5 ± 31.9 | 26.1 (64.8) | 93.8 ± 38.7 | 87.9 (56.1) | <0.001 | 36.4 ± 31.0 | 22.7 (63.0) | 65.7 ± 30.2 | 59.2 (53.1) | 0.009 | 3.1 ± 4.8 | 2.1 (4.7) | 28.1 ± 41.6 | 15.8 (33.3) | 0.005 |
| Widow/er | 50.5 ± 38.9 | 41.2 (70.1) | 77.6 ± 32.2 | 67.4 (46.2) | 0.001 | 48.6 ± 39.1 | 36.0 (71.8) | 71.2 ± 30.9 | 65.1 (32.4) | 0.003 | 1.9 ± 3.1 | 0.7 (2.9) | 6.3 ± 10.0 c | 3.7 (3.6) | 0.002 |
| Education level | |||||||||||||||
| Primary | 68.5 ± 51.4 d | 57.0 (69.9) | 100.4 ± 54.5 | 94.2 (46.6) | <0.001 | 65.8 ± 50.9 d | 54.6 (71.3) | 81.7 ± 37.4 e | 78.0 (45.7) | 0.001 | 2.7 ± 5.3 d | 0.9 (2.8) | 18.7 ± 33.5 | 7.6 (13.2) | <0.001 |
| Secondary | 58.2 ± 45.8 | 44.7 (60.1) | 115.1 ± 228.3 | 73.4 (48.2) | <0.001 | 53.9 ± 44.3 | 40.6 (56.1) | 96.9 ± 226.9 e | 58.5 (44.7) | 0.01 | 4.3 ± 13.1 f | 1.2 (4.6) | 18.2 ± 24.4 | 6.6 (25.8) | <0.001 |
| University | 42.7 ± 30.5 d | 36.5 (49.4) | 87.0 ± 39.8 | 85.7 (49.6) | <0.001 | 36.7 ± 26.8 d | 31.1 (34.7) | 68.3 ± 34.8 | 62.1 (40.4) | <0.001 | 6.0 ± 9.7 d f | 3.3 (6.6) | 18.8 ± 16.7 | 13.2 (29.4) | <0.001 |
| Mediterranean Diet Adherence | |||||||||||||||
| Low (<p 25) | 42.3 ± 37.9 i,k | 33.8 (40.4) | 170.3 ± 340.9 | 82.1 (90.7) | <0.001 | 38.5 ± 36.5 i,k | 28.7 (40.4) | 453.2 ± 337.3 | 66.1 (71.1) | <0.001 | 3.9 ± 13.3 i,k | 0.5 (3.4) | 17.1 ± 24.1 | 7.0 (19.8) | <0.001 |
| Medium (p 50–75) | 65.8 ± 48.2 i,j | 53.6 (67.2) | 89.9 ± 47.0 | 86.1 (42.0) | <0.001 | 62.1 ± 47.8 i,j | 50.7 (64.5) | 71.8 ± 37.6 | 69.2 (39.5) | 0.023 | 3.7 ± 7.2 i,j | 0.9 (4.4) | 18.1 ± 26.9 | 9.4 (19.6) | <0.001 |
| High (p > 75) | 72.0 ± 53.5 k,j | 58.6 (76.2) | 92.5 ± 43.5 | 82.8 (52.9) | 0.004 | 67.8 ± 52.2 k,j | 54.6 (72.1) | 72.7 ± 32.1 | 70.6 (54.4) | 0.137 | 4.1 ± 6.5 k,j | 2.3 (4.7) | 19.8 ± 31.2 | 9.4 (17.1) | <0.001 |
| BMI | |||||||||||||||
| <30 kg/m2 | 59.2 ± 38.9 | 48.3 (50.5) | 106.4 ± 145.9 g | 88.0 (46.4) | <0.001 | 53.7 ± 37.0 | 43.9 (54.3) | 87.0 ± 142.5 | 68.7 (43.6) | <0.001 | 5.5 ± 8.7 h | 2.8 (5.7) | 19.4 ± 28.6 g | 9.4 (17.5) | <0.001 |
| ≥30 kg/m2 | 61.1 ± 51.6 | 45.5 (68.6) | 69.8 ± 45.3 g | 65.3 (34.5) | 0.253 | 58.0 ± 51.1 | 43.8 (67.1) | 60.0 ± 35.3 | 61.7 (43.3) | 0.407 | 3.1 ± 9.3 h | 0.9 (2.8) | 9.8 ± 17.4 g | 1.1 (10.6) | 0.178 |
Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; IQR: Interquartil range; MD: Mediterranean Diet; MET: Metabolic equivalent; MetS: Metabolic Syndrome; p: percentile; SD: Standard deviation. Difference in means for intensity of physical activity (total physical activity, light-moderate activity, heavy activity) between MetS and non-MetSwere tested by the Mann Whitney U test. Differences among categories of the same group were tested by the Kruskal-Wallis test and/or the Mann Whitney U test, applying the Bonferroni correction. a Differences (p-value < 0.05) between 55–64 years vs. 65–69 years old in the same group (MetS). b Differences (p-value < 0.05) between 55–64 years vs. ≥70 years old in the same group (non-MetS or MetS). c Differences (p-value < 0.05) between married vs. widow/er in the same group (non-MetS). d Differences (p-value < 0.05) between primary studies vs. university studies in the same group (MetS). e Differences (p-value < 0.05) between primary studies vs. secondary studies in the same group (non-MetS). f Differences (p-value < 0.05) between primary studies vs. university studies in the same group (MetS). g Differences (p-value < 0.05) between <30 kg/m2 vs. ≥30 kg/m2 in the same group (non-MetS). h Differences (p-value < 0.001) between <30 kg/m2 vs. ≥30 kg/m2 in the same group (MetS). i Differences (p-value < 0.05) between low MD adherence vs. medium MD adherence in the same group (MetS). j Differences (p-value < 0.05) between high MD adherence vs. medium MD adherence in the same group (MetS). k Differences (p-value < 0.05) between low MD adherence vs. high MD adherence in the same group (MetS). l Differences between gender in the same group. Significant differences have been highlighted in bold.