RT journal article
T1 Is active commuting associated with metabolic syndrome in adults, adolescents, and children? a systematic review and meta-analysis
A1 Palma-Leal, X.
A1 Gálvez-Fernández, P.
A1 Camiletti Moirón, Daniel
A1 Segura Jiménez, Víctor
A2 Didáctica de la Educación FísicaPlástica y Musical
K1 Active travel
K1 Physical activity
K1 Populations
K1 Health
K1 Cardiovascular disease
K1 Abdominal obesity
AB Aims: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing annually across all age groups, raising the riskof morbidity, mortality, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults, adolescents, and children. Activecommuting (AC) provides an opportunity to increase physical activity and reduce the MetS risk. The purpose ofthis study was to synthesize the available evidence on the prevalence of MetS and MetS risk factors in relation toAC vs non-active commuting among adults, adolescents, and children.Data synthesis: PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for studies investigating the relationshipbetween MetS and AC, conducted following the PRISMA statement. The quality of the included studies wasassessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the AXIS tool. Meta-analyses were conducted using randomeffects model. Eleven studies were included: seven studies in adults and one study in adolescents indicatedthat active commuters had lower odds of MetS prevalence compared to non-active commuters. This finding wassupported by the ten studies included in the meta-analysis (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.88; 95 % Confidence Interval(CI) = 0.83–0.94; p < 0.001; Q = 33.16; I2 = 72.86). Additionally, five studies in adults and one study in adolescents showed that active commuters had lower odds of abdominal obesity, a key MetS risk factor. This wascorroborated by the six studies included in the meta-analysis (OR = 0.72; 95 %CI = 0.61–0.84; p < 0.001; Q =20.48; I2 = 75.59).Conclusion: The prevalence of MetS and abdominal obesity seems to be lower among adults who engage in AC.However, generalization to younger populations is limited. Future intervention and longitudinal studies withobjective and standardized measures are needed.
PB Elsevier
SN 1590-3729
YR 2025
FD 2025-07-12
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38872
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/38872
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 07-nov-2026