Association of ‘weekend warrior’ physical activity pattern and erectile dysfunction: A large cross-sectional study in Brazil

Objective

To examine the association between the weekend warrior physical activity pattern and erectile dysfunction, including analyses stratified by age group and obesity.

Methods

Data from 15,655 men aged >40 screened at a Brazilian hospital (2008–2022) were analyzed. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Participants were grouped into three physical activity patterns: not meeting recommendations (defined as <150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), weekend warrior (defined as ≥150 min/week on one or two days), and regularly active (defined as ≥150 min/week on three or more days). Erectile dysfunction was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function score (<22 indicating erectile dysfunction). Logistic regression tested the association between erectile dysfunction and physical activity patterns using unadjusted and adjusted models (adjusted for age, lifestyle and clinical conditions).

Results

Erectile dysfunction prevalence was 22.4 %. The weekend warrior pattern was initially associated with erectile dysfunction, but this association lost significance after adjustment. The regularly active pattern remained associated with lower erectile dysfunction likelihood in adjusted model (OR: 0.90; 95 %CI: 0.82–0.99). Among adults, this association persisted (OR: 0.90; 95 %CI: 0.82–0.99). In non-obese individuals, the regularly active pattern was also associated with lower erectile dysfunction likelihood (OR: 0.88; 95 %CI: 0.79–0.98), while in obese individuals, the association was significant only in the unadjusted model.

Conclusion

The weekend warrior pattern did not show significance in adjusted models, while the regularly active pattern is associated with a lower likelihood of erectile dysfunction, particularly among adults and non-obese individuals.