Background The health benefits of regular physical activity (PA) are well documented. However, several people in both developed and developing countries do not meet PA recommendations. Health professionals are believed to be potential PA promoters. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into general and specialist practitioners' knowledge, practices and PA prescription-related factors in private and public hospitals in Kinshasa. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among general and specialist practitioners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital using a declarative and anonymous questionnaire. Results Overall, 40.2% of the participants were interested in their patient’s PA, 2.3% prescribed PA, and 0.9% did it correctly. Specialist physicians (SPs) prescribed PA more frequently than general practitioners (GP), and private hospital physicians prescribed PA more frequently than public hospital physicians. Five factors were independently associated with participants in prescribing PA: being in a private hospital increased the likelihood of prescribing PA by twofold (aOR, 1.83; 95% CI, 0.99–3.39; p = 0.055), being an SP increased the likelihood by sixfold (aOR, 6.22; 95% CI, 3.78–10.51; p = 0.000), being an internist increase the likelihood by sixfold (aOR, 5.81; 95% CI, 3.45–9.78; p = 0.000), being cardiologist by a factor of 12 (aOR, 12.91; 95% CI, 4.37–38.15; p = 0.000) and knowing the benefits of PA by a factor of 2 (aOR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.29–4.08; p = 0.006). The most common reason given for a lack of interest in patients' PA, followed by a lack of knowledge about current PA prescribing recommendations and a lack of time. Conclusions SPs and professionals in the private health sector were the most interested in their patients’ PA. A small portion of them actually prescribed it, and only a tiny proportion did it correctly. This bleak picture highlights a need to rethink the undergraduate medical curricula, especially about teachings on the importance and use of PA as a medicine in its own right in disease prevention and treatment.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is the backbone of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The later are the most common non-communicable diseases globally. Diet is an important determinant of CVDs. The link between diet and cardiovascular health could be explained by an association between diet pattern and IR. Aims: To investigate the association between salt and specific food consumption as well as different diet patterns (Mediterranean, westernized, and intermediate dietary patterns) with HOMAIR as a surrogate marker of IR, and fasting insulin in Black, sub-Saharan essential hypertensive patients. Methods: The multicentric, cross-sectional analysis involved 77 Congolese Black hypertensive participants with no history of cardiovascular disease. Daily sodium chloride intake (NaCl g/24h) was estimated from 24-hour urine collection. Dietary behaviours were evaluated through a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) ≥ 2.5 was used as surrogate marker of IR. Results: A decrease in weekly consumption of fruits, vegetables and fish would significantly explain an increase of 29% (r = 0.292; p = 0.010), 24% (r = 0.242; p = 0.034) and 23% (r = 0.226; p = 0.048) of the value of HOMAIR respectively. In contrast, an increase in daily sodium chloride intake was associated with 28% (r = 0.283, p = 0.027) of the increase in HOMAIR. Also, a decrease in the average weekly consumption of fruit, vegetables and fish would significantly explain an increase of 25% (r = 0.247; p = 0.030

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