Better food consumption behaviour tied to more leisure physical activity

Leisure physical activity (PA) is associated with better food consumption behaviour, as shown in a recent study that involved workers in Brazil.

“A better food consumption behaviour was reported among workers who practiced leisure physical activity when compared to those who did not,” the investigators said.

To examine the effect of different combinations of food consumption (eg, fruits, vegetables, sweets and snacks) on the associations with PA domains (leisure and commute), a cross-sectional national survey was developed in Brazil using data from the “Lifestyle and Leisure Habits of Industrial Workers” project.

In total, 52,774 workers (response rate, 90.6 percent) responded to a validated questionnaire about the frequency of their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweets and snacks, their practice of leisure PA and active commuting. Their answers were analysed using multilevel regression, controlled by sociodemographic behaviour and the presence of hypertension, diabetes and overweight.

Leisure PA was more frequently performed by workers with a simultaneously adequate consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweets and snacks (odds ratio, 2.29, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.74–2.99; p<0.001). In the full model, no association was found among any of the combinations of food consumption and active commuting.

“An in-depth understanding of the relationship between food consumption and PA is relevant since these behaviours could influence each other, while both have an effect on obesity and chronic diseases,” the investigators noted.