Physical activity in liver transplant recipients: a large multicenter study

Aim Healthy lifestyle and appropriate diet are of critical importance after liver transplant (LT). We provided an analysis of the main patterns of physical activity and found factors associated with physical activity itself. Methods Clinically stable LT recipients were enrolled between June and September 2021. Patients completed a composite questionnaire about physical activity, adherence to Mediterranean Diet (MD), quality of life (QoL), and employment. Correlations were analysed using the Pearson coefficients while different subgroups were compared by t-test for independent samples or ANOVAs. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to find predictors of inactivity. Results We enrolled 511 subjects (71% males, mean age 63 ± 10.8 years). One hundred and ninety-three patients reported high level of physical activity, 197 a minimal activity and 121 declared insufficient activity. Among these latter, 29 subjects were totally inactive. Considering the 482 LT recipients performing some kind of physical activity, almost all reported a low-quality, non-structured activity. At multivariate analysis, time from LT (odds ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.89–0.99, p = 0.017), sedentary lifestyle (odds ratio 0.99, 95% CI 0.19–0.81, p = 0.012), low adherence to MD (odds ratio 1.22, 95% CI 1.01–1.48, p = 0.049), and low level of QoL (physical dimension) (odds ratio 1.13, 95% CI 1.08–1.17, p < 0.001), were independently associated with total inactivity. Conclusion A large portion of LT recipients report an insufficient level of physical activity or are wholly inactive. Inactivity increases with time from LT and was strongly associated with suboptimal diet and low QoL.