Cardiometabolic Health in South Asians Living in Canada: Canadian Community Health Survey 2000-2014 and Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007-2013

Background: South Asians (SAs) have low physical activity (PA) levels and elevated cardiovascular risk. Objective: To examine the relationship between cardiometabolic health and PA among SAs (20+y) using the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2000-2014 and Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) 2007-2013. Methods: Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of 1+ cardiometabolic conditions and metabolic syndrome (MetS) according to PA level. Results: In the CCHS, 22.6% of SAs had 1+ cardiometabolic conditions, whereas in the CHMS, 26.4% of SAs had MetS. In the CCHS, self-reported active (>3.0 KKD) recent immigrants and moderately active (1.5-3.0 KKD) non-immigrants and established immigrants had the lowest odds of cardiometabolic conditions. In the CHMS, participants with 10 000 steps and 232 minutes/week of MVPA had the lowest odds of MetS. Conclusions: Given discrepancies in the relationship between PA and cardiometabolic health, the optimal dose of PA amongst SA subgroups warrants further investigation.