Associations of habitual physical activity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Mini-Oral Presentation B2.10

Authors

  • Rebecca Lear University of Exeter
  • Brad Metcalf University of Exeter
  • Gemma Brailey University of Exeter
  • Michael Nunns University of Exeter
  • Bert Bond University of Exeter
  • Melvyn Hillsdon University of Exeter
  • Richard M. Pulsford University of Exeter

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.617

Keywords:

Vascular Function, Carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cfPWV), Habitual Physical Activity (PA), Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)

Abstract

Background: Habitual physical activity (hPA) reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cfPWV) is indicative of CVD risk, however the precise association between hPA and cfPWV is unclear and warrants further investigation. Purpose: To understand the association between hPA and cfPWV in an ostensibly healthy adult population. Methods: Searches were performed in Medline, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL databases to identify observational studies assessing hPA and cfPWV published up to 22/02/2021. All articles were included in the narrative synthesis and vote count analyses. Articles were included in pooled analyses where a standardised association statistic for continuous hPA and cfPWV were reported. Results: Twenty six articles were included detailing 72 analyses. Overall in 47% of analyses a significant negative association was observed between hPA and cfPWV, with no association observed in 53%. Sixteen articles provided sufficient data for meta-analysis, which demonstrated a small, significant, negative correlation between hPA and cfPWV CC= -0.09 (95%CI -0.18, -0.01); P=0.03. Heterogeneity was high at I2=95.10% P<0.001. Sub-group analyses did not change overall findings, however heterogeneity was low, effect size was smaller and 95%CI narrower in articles with device based measurement of hPA and those of a good/fair quality rating. Conclusion: There is a significant negative association between hPA and cfPWV. However, the variation in PA metrics reported and the high heterogeneity within pooled analyses, suggests that findings should be interpreted with a degree of caution. The ability to precisely quantify day-to-day movement behaviours should support future high quality research in this field.

Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

Lear, R., Metcalf, B., Brailey, G., Nunns, M., Bond, B., Hillsdon, M., & Pulsford, R. (2021). Associations of habitual physical activity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity; a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies: Mini-Oral Presentation B2.10. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.617