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Original article
Estimating the effect of long-term physical activity on cardiovascular disease and mortality: evidence from the Framingham Heart Study
  1. Susan M Shortreed1,2,
  2. Anna Peeters1,3,
  3. Andrew B Forbes1
  1. 1Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
  2. 2Biostatistics Unit, Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
  3. 3Obesity and Population Health Unit, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Susan M Shortreed, Biostatistics Unit, Group Health Research Institute, 1730 Minor Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101, USA; shortreed.s{at}ghc.org

Abstract

Objective In the majority of studies, the effect of physical activity (PA) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality is estimated at a single time point. The impact of long-term PA is likely to differ. Our study objective was to estimate the effect of long-term adult-life PA compared with long-term inactivity on the risk of incident CVD, all-cause mortality and CVD-attributable mortality.

Design Observational cohort study.

Setting Framingham, MA, USA.

Patients 4729 Framingham Heart Study participants who were alive and CVD-free in 1956.

Exposures PA was measured at three visits over 30 years along with a variety of risk factors for CVD. Cumulative PA was defined as long-term active versus long-term inactive.

Main outcome measures Incident CVD, all-cause mortality and CVD-attributable mortality.

Results During 40 years of follow-up there were 2594 cases of incident CVD, 1313 CVD-attributable deaths and 3521 deaths. Compared with long-term physical inactivity, the rate ratio of long-term PA was 0.95 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.07) for CVD, 0.81 (0.71 to 0.93) for all-cause mortality and 0.83 (0.72 to 0.97) for CVD-attributable mortality. Assessment of effect modification by sex suggests greater protective effect of long-term PA on CVD incidence (p value for interaction=0.004) in men (0.79 (0.66 to 0.93)) than in women (1.15 (0.97 to 1.37)).

Conclusions Cumulative long-term PA has a protective effect on incidence of all-cause and CVD-attributable mortality compared with long-term physical inactivity. In men, but not women, long-term PA also appears to have a protective effect on incidence of CVD.

  • Peripheral Vascular Disease
  • Myocardial Ischaemia And Infarction (IHD)

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