Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35383401›Full record

SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2022

Effect of aerobic exercise on waist circumference in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Alex Armstrong, Klaus Jungbluth Rodriguez, Angelo Sabag, Yorgi Mavros, Helen M Parker, Shelley E Keating, Nathan A Johnson

Open access · hybridAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
12.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 118 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Effect of aerobic exercise on waist circumference in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022
    Pooled it
  8. Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Assessing the causal impact of leisure-time physical activity and screen time on lifespan: a Mendelian randomization study.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2026
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Pilot Investigation on the Metabolic Effects ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article

9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Alex ArmstrongFaculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales.ORCID 0000-0001-6246-0692
Klaus Jungbluth RodriguezSchool of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
Angelo SabagNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0195-7029
Yorgi MavrosFaculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales.ORCID 0000-0002-2588-0425
Helen M ParkerFaculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales.ORCID 0000-0002-3826-2765
Shelley E KeatingSchool of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5357-2721
Nathan A JohnsonFaculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales.
The University of Sydney · AUThe University of Queensland · AUWestern Sydney University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Excess visceral adiposity contributes to elevated cardiometabolic risk, and waist circumference is commonly used as a surrogate measure of visceral adipose tissue. Although regular aerobic exercise is known to improve abdominal obesity, its effect on waist circumference is unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine (1) the effect of aerobic exercise on waist circumference in adults with overweight or obesity; (2) the association between any change in waist circumference and change in visceral adipose tissue and/or bodyweight with aerobic exercise interventions; and (3) if reductions in waist circumference with exercise are moderated by clinical characteristics or components of aerobic exercise prescription. Twenty-five randomized controlled trials (1686 participants) were included. Regular aerobic exercise significantly reduced waist circumference by 3.2 cm (95% confidence interval [CI] -3.86, -2.51, p ≤ 0.001) versus control. Change in waist circumference was associated with change in visceral adipose tissue (β = 4.02; 95% CI 1.37, 6.66, p = 0.004), and vigorous intensity produced superior reduction (-4.2 cm, 95% CI -4.99, -3.42, p < 0.0001) in waist circumference compared with moderate intensity (-2.50 cm, 95% CI -3.22, -1.79, p = 0.058). These findings suggest regular aerobic exercise results in modest reductions in waist circumference and associated visceral adipose tissue and that higher intensity exercise may offer superior benefit to moderate intensity.

Indexed as

OverweightWeight LossAdultBody Mass IndexExerciseHumansObesityObesity, AbdominalWaist Circumferenceabdominal obesityphysical activityvisceral adiposityweight loss

Identifiers

PMID35383401
PMCPMC9540641
OpenAlexW4225726213

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.