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Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Saint-Maurice, PF; Troiano, RP; Berrigan, D; Kraus, WE; Matthews, CE
Published in: Journal of the American Heart Association
April 1, 2018

Background--It is unclear whether the greater benefits of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) over light PA are attributed to the higher-intensity PA or simply the greater volume of PA accumulated per unit time for moderate-to-vigorous PA. We examined this question using estimates of the volume of light and moderate-to-vigorous PA in relation to all-cause mortality. Methods and Results--We used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2006 accelerometer records in adults (≥40 years; n=4840) and mortality data collected through 2011 (n=700 deaths). We estimated intensity-specific PA volume using activity counts (AC) accumulated in light (100-759 AC/min), moderate-to-vigorous PA (≥760 AC/min), and total PA (≥100 AC/ min). We examined quartiles of each exposure using Cox proportional hazard models (hazard ratios [95% confidence interval) adjusted for demographic and behavioral risk factors, health status, and body mass index. Mortality risk was less across increasing quartiles of light PA volume (AC × 1000) when compared with the least quartile (AC ≤61.8); the least risk occurred in the upper quartile of light PA, AC > 98.5 (hazard ratios=0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.47, 1.00, P trend ≤0.05). The benefits for mortality risk were greater across quartiles of moderate-to-vigorous PA and reached a hazard ratio of 0.28 (95% confidence interval: 0.17, 0.46, P trend ≤0.05) for AC > 187.9, when compared with the referent group (AC ≤50.8). Results examining various combinations of light and moderate-to-vigorous intensity-specific volumes demonstrated the strong influence of total activity on mortality risk. Conclusions--In this population, increasing light PA was associated with less mortality, but at an approximately equal volume of PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA appeared to have greater benefits.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of the American Heart Association

DOI

EISSN

2047-9980

Publication Date

April 1, 2018

Volume

7

Issue

7

Related Subject Headings

  • 3201 Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
  • 1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
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Saint-Maurice, P. F., Troiano, R. P., Berrigan, D., Kraus, W. E., & Matthews, C. E. (2018). Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality? Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(7). https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.008815
Saint-Maurice, P. F., R. P. Troiano, D. Berrigan, W. E. Kraus, and C. E. Matthews. “Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality?Journal of the American Heart Association 7, no. 7 (April 1, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.008815.
Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Berrigan D, Kraus WE, Matthews CE. Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality? Journal of the American Heart Association. 2018 Apr 1;7(7).
Saint-Maurice, P. F., et al. “Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality?Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 7, no. 7, Apr. 2018. Scopus, doi:10.1161/JAHA.117.008815.
Saint-Maurice PF, Troiano RP, Berrigan D, Kraus WE, Matthews CE. Volume of light versus moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: Similar benefits for all-cause mortality? Journal of the American Heart Association. 2018 Apr 1;7(7).
Journal cover image

Published In

Journal of the American Heart Association

DOI

EISSN

2047-9980

Publication Date

April 1, 2018

Volume

7

Issue

7

Related Subject Headings

  • 3201 Cardiovascular medicine and haematology
  • 1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology