Association of weekend warriors and other physical activity patterns with hypertension in NHANES 2007–2018

To accommodate the fast-paced nature of modern life, the "Weekend Warriors (WW)" has emerged as a novel physical activity (PA) indicator. This study aims to investigate the relationship between WW and other PA patterns with hypertension, thereby addressing a significant research gap. Data from 30,697 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2007 and 2018 were analyzed. We employed multiple regression analyses to examine the relationships among WW, other PA patterns, PA duration, PA intensity, and hypertension, with data stratified by various characteristics. Results showed that compared to the inactive group, the insufficiently PA pattern (OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.8, 1.0), the WW group (OR = 0.9, 95% CI 0.7, 1.1), and the regularly active group (OR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.8, 0.9) were all negatively associated with hypertension, with the WW group showing a trend towards a reduced prevalence of hypertension (P for trend < 0.01). This association was particularly evident among middle-aged and older adults aged 41-80 years. Additionally, total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time, as well as moderate and vigorous PA intensity, showed "L"-shaped and "U"-shaped relationships with hypertension, with inflection points at 2640 MET minutes, 45%, and 62%, respectively. Our study provides insights for selecting suitable PA patterns but indicates the need for further research.