Research

Energy balance

In rural South African adults (40-60 years), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is not associated with Body Mass Index (BMI), contradicting the assumption that increased physical activity reduces obesity risk in this population.

For adults in this rural South African setting, increasing physical activity alone is unlikely to reduce BMI. Public health efforts should prioritize dietary interventions, specifically reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake, rather than focusing solely on increasing physical activity for weight control.

ModerateRefutesMEDIUM confidence
PA was not associated with BMI in either sexes. ... The major findings of this study are first, the marked difference in obesity levels between sexes, second a lack of association between PA and BMI and third, a positive association between SSB and BMI.
Felistas Mashinya et al. · Global Health Action · 2018

Why this rating

Cross-sectional design limits causal inference; however, the sample size is large (n=1143) and uses objective anthropometric measures.

Source

Determinants of body mass index by gender in the Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System site, South Africa

Felistas Mashinya et al. · Global Health Action · 2018

DOI 10.1080/16549716.2018.1537613

cross_sectional · n=1143Cited 42×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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