Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T17:13:25.381Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Can a simple measure of vigorous physical activity predict future mortality? Results from the OXCHECK study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Melvyn Hillsdon ,
Margaret Thorogood ,
Mike Murphy  and
Lesley Jones
Melvyn Hillsdon*
Affiliation:
Health Promotion Research Unit, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
Margaret Thorogood
Affiliation:
Health Promotion Research Unit, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
Mike Murphy
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK, General Practice Research Group, Institute of Health Sciences, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
Lesley Jones
Affiliation:
Cancer Research UK, General Practice Research Group, Institute of Health Sciences, Old Road, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Background:

As epidemiological studies have become more complex, demands for short, easily administered measures of risk factors have increased. This study investigates whether such a measure of physical activity is associated with the risk of death from all causes and death from specific causes.

Methods:

A prospective follow-up study of 11 090 men and women, aged 35–64 years, recruited from five UK general practices who responded to a postal questionnaire in 1989. Self-reported frequency of vigorous-intensity physical activity and data on confounding factors were collected at baseline survey. Death notifications up to 31 December 2001 were provided by the Office for National Statistics. The relative risk (and 95% confidence interval) of dying associated with each level of exposure to physical activity was estimated by the hazard ratio in a series of Cox regression models.

Results:

After > 10 years' follow-up there were 825 deaths among the 10 522 subjects with no previous history of angina or myocardial infarction. Participation in vigorous exercise was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality. Similar associations were found for ischaemic heart disease and cancer mortality, although the relationships were not significant at the 5% level.

Conclusions:

Simple measures of self-reported vigorous physical activity are associated with the risk of future mortality, at least all-cause mortality in a somewhat selected group. Interpretation of the finding should be treated with caution due to the reliance on self-report and the possibility that residual confounding may underlie the associations. Because moderate-intensity physical activity is also beneficial to health, short physical activity questionnaires should include measures of such physical activity in the future.

Keywords

QuestionnairesExerciseRisk factorsFollow-up studiesMortality
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , June 2004 , pp. 557 - 562
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2004

References

1US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Physical Activity and Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: DHHS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic DiseasePrevention and Health Promotion, 1996.Google Scholar
2Department of Health. Health Survey for England 1998. London: The Stationery Office, 2000.Google Scholar
3Imperial Cancer Research Fund OXCHECK Study Group. Prevalence of risk factors for heart disease in OXCHECK trial: implications for screening in primary care. British Medical Journal 1991; 302: 1057–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Classification of Occupations. London: HMSO, 1980.Google Scholar
5Whiteman, D, Muir, J, Jones, L, Murphy, M, Key, T. Dietary questions as determinants of mortality: the OXCHECK experience. Public Health Nutrition 1999; 2: 477–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Thorogood, M, Coulter, A, Jones, L, Yudkin, P, Muir, J, Mant, D. Factors affecting response to an invitation to attend for a health check. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1993; 47: 224–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Shaper, AG, Wannamethee, G. Physical activity and ischaemic heart disease in middle-aged British men. British Heart Journal 1991; 66: 384–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Paffenbarger, RS Jr, Hyde, RT, Wing, AL, Hsieh, C. Physical activity all-cause|mortality and longevity of college alumni. New England Journal of Medicine 1986; 314: 605–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9Lee, I-M, Skerrett, PJ. Physical activity and all-cause mortality: what is the dose–response relation? Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2001; 33(Suppl.): S459–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Duncan, GE, Sydeman, SJ, Perri, MG, Limacher, MC, Martin, AD. Can sedentary adults accurately recall the intensity of their physical activity? Preventive Medicine 2001; 33: 18–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Lamonte, MJ, Ainsworth, BE. Quantifying energy expenditure and physical activity in the context of dose response. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2001; 33(Suppl.): S370–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12Ainsworth, BE, Haskell, WL, Leon, AS, Jacobs, DR Jr, Montoye, JH, Sallis, JF, et al. Compendium of physical activities: classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1993; 25: 71–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13American College of Sports Medicine position stand: the recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1990; 22: 265–74.Google Scholar
14Department of Health. Strategy Statement on Physical Activity. London: Department of Health, 1996.Google Scholar
15Pate, RR, Pratt, M, Blair, SN, Haskell, WL, Macera, CA, Bouchard, C, et al. Physical activity and public health: a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association 1995; 273: 402–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Armstrong, T, Bauman, A, Davies, J. Physical Activity Patterns of Australian Adults. Results of the 1999 National Physical Activity Survey. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2000.Google Scholar
17Craig, CL, Cameron, C, Russell, SJ, Beaulieu, A. Increasing Physical Activity; Supporting Children's Participation. Ottawa: Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2001.Google Scholar
18Centres for Disease Control. Physical activity trends – United105 States, 1990–1998. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2001; 50: 166–9.Google Scholar