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. 2024 Dec 18;24(1):613.
doi: 10.1186/s12890-024-03431-w.

Association between physical activity patterns and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data

Fei Xue #  1 , Yating Zhou #  2
Affiliations

Association between physical activity patterns and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea: a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data

Fei Xue et al. BMC Pulm Med. .

Abstract

Background: With the acceleration of modern life, the "Weekend Warrior" (WW) exercise pattern has become increasingly popular. This study based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007-2008, 2015-2016, and 2017-2020, examines the association between physical activity (PA) patterns and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults aged 18 and above.

Methods: The analysis included 19,223 adults who provided self-reported data on their PA patterns. Participants were categorized into four PA groups: inactive, insufficiently active, weekend warrior (WW), and regularly active (RA). Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the association between PA patterns and OSA symptoms. Stratified analyses were performed to assess variations across demographic and BMI subgroups.

Results: After adjusting for relevant covariates, the WW (OR = 0.85, 95% CI: [0.72, 0.99]) and RA (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: [0.77, 0.90]) groups demonstrated significantly lower odds of OSA symptoms compared to the inactive group. The protective effect of the WW pattern was observed in specific subgroups, including non-Hispanic whites, low-income individuals, and males. In contrast, the RA pattern exhibited a more consistent protective effect across most demographic and BMI subgroups. No significant difference in OSA symptom likelihood was found between the RA and WW groups after adjusting for covariates (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: [0.87, 1.20]).

Conclusion: Both the WW and RA patterns are associated with a significantly lower prevalence of OSA symptoms compared to inactivity. While the WW pattern appears beneficial for certain subgroups, the RA pattern shows broader applicability. These findings highlight the potential of even non-daily PA, such as weekend activity, in reducing the likelihood of OSA symptoms, especially in specific populations.

Keywords: NHANES; Obstructive sleep apnea; Physical activity patterns; Sleep; Weekend warrior.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was approved by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Ethics Review Board. Informed consent was obtained from all participants by the NCHS during the data collection phase. The current study involved secondary analysis of publicly available, de-identified data, and no additional ethical approval was required. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of study population enrollment
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The relationship between OSA symptoms and PA patterns
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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