Is active transport and leisure time physical activity associated with inflammatory markers in US adults: Cross-sectional analyses from NHANES

Background: To investigate the association between levels of active transport and levels of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) with C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), body mass index (BMI),waist circumference (WC), and lipids, in a large representative sample of adults residing in the US. Methods: Cross-sectional data fromthe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Adjusted multinomial logistic regressions were carried out to quantify associations between levels of self-reported active transport (or LTPA) and quintiles of anthropometric measures and serum markers. Results: 3,248 adults were included. For serum inflammatory biomarkers, we observed a lower likelihood of being in the top quintile groups of circulating CRP (aOR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.40 to 0.90) and WBC (aOR: 0.65, 95%CI: 0.44 to 0.95) with engaging in low to medium levels active transport, but not with higher levels of active transport. Higher levels of LTPA were associated with lower likelihood of having high levels of serum inflammatory biomarkers (aOR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.42 to 0.86 in the top CRP group; aOR: 0.58, 95%CI: 0.39 to 0.87 in top WBC group). Conclusions: Promoting active transport and/or LTPA may be a beneficial strategy to improving some, but not all, cardio-metabolic health outcomes.