Summary
Background. Physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases such as prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. The latest physical activity (PA) recommendations are provided by 2020 World Health Organization guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour and 2021 European Society of Cardiology guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice. Studies have showed that regular PA, at least 150 min a week of moderate-intensity or 75 min a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic PA or a combination of moderate-vigorous intensity PA, increases insulin sensitivity, reduces hypertriglyceridemia, arterial blood pressure, and cardiometabolic risk.
Objective. To review the newest scientific articles on the implementation of the latest PA recommendations among people with an increased cardiometabolic risk and present the strategies to increase their PA.
Material and methods. A review of 53 scientific publications has been performed. Articles were collected from PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, ClinicalKey, Cochrane Library databases. Only in English written publications were analysed.
Results. Results of reviewed scientific publications showed that more than half people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or obesity do not reach the recommended PA level. Patients who are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome are most likely to follow PA recommendations. The objectively measured PA level among people with increased cardiometabolic risk is twice as low as the PA estimated from the questionnaires responses. The promotion of PA could be categorized into eight parts: specialist care, support and follow up, behaviour change, educational activities, patient-centered care, self-management, attitudes, and form of implementation. Motivational interviewing, a combination of motivational interviewing and positive psychology, a physical activity prescription, various portable devices for recording PA indicators, and smart technologies are mostly recommended strategies to increase PA for people with higher cardiometabolic risk.
Conclusions. Individuals with increased cardiometabolic risk are physically active, but their PA levels are lower than recommended in the guidelines. The majority of people who are diagnosed with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or obesity do not follow the minimal PA recommendations. Various PA increasing strategies are effective for individuals with increased cardiometabolic risk.
