Light-Intensity Physical Activity and All-Cause Mortality

• Published in: American journal of health promotion Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 340 - 342
• Main Author: Loprinzi, Paul D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2017; American Journal of Health Promotion
• Subjects: Accelerometers; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological markers; Biomarkers; Blood tests; Body weight; C-Reactive Protein; Chronic Disease; Chronic illnesses; Comorbidity; Confidence intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Death & dying; Ethnicity; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Female; Health promotion; Health risk assessment; Humans; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Light; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Nicotine; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; Physical activity; Poverty; Questionnaires; Race; Sedentary Lifestyle; Socioeconomic Factors; United States; Young Adult; United States > US; Health focus: physical activity; Setting: national; Research purpose: modeling/relationship testing; Outcome measure: mortality; Study design: longitudinal; Target population circumstances: education; Strategy: education, behavior change; Target population age: adults; Accelerometry, Chronic Disease, Epidemiology, Exercise, Mortality, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Prevention Research. Manuscript format: research
• ISSN: 0890-1171; 2168-6602; 2168-6602
• DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.150515-ARB-882

Purpose. Research demonstrates that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality. Few studies have examined the effects of light-intensity physical activity on mortality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between objectively measured light-intensity physical activity and all-cause mortality risk. Design. Longitudinal. Setting. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006 with follow-up through December 31, 2011. Subjects. Five thousand five hundred seventy-five U.S. adults. Measures. Participants wore an accelerometer for at least 4 days and completed questionnaires to assess sociodemographics and chronic disease information, with blood samples taken to assess biological markers. Follow-up mortality status was assessed via death certificate data from the National Death Index. Analysis. Cox proportional hazard model. Results. After adjusting for accelerometer-determined MVPA, age, gender, race-ethnicity, cotinine, weight status, poverty level, C-reactive protein, and comorbid illness, for every 60-minute increase in accelerometer-determined light-intensity physical activity, participants had a 16% reduced hazard of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = .84; 95% confidence interval: .78–.91; p < .001). Conclusion. In this national sample of U.S. adults, light-intensity physical activity was inversely associated with all-cause mortality risk, independent of age, MVPA, and other potential confounders. In addition to MVPA, promotion of light-intensity physical activity is warranted.