Relative risks (RR) of atrial fibrillation by leisure-time exercise and walking/bicycling at age 30 years and at baseline, in the cohort of Swedish men, 1998–2009
| Variable | Cases* | Person-years | Age-adjusted RR | Multivariable RR† | Multivariable RR†‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise at age 30 years (h/week) | |||||
| <1 | 499 | 69 469 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| 1 | 695 | 83 297 | 1.06 (0.94–1.19) | 1.07 (0.95–1.20) | 1.08 (0.95–1.22) |
| 2–3 | 1267 | 140 057 | 1.02 (0.92–1.14) | 1.04 (0.93–1.16) | 1.06 (0.94–1.20) |
| 4–5 | 619 | 63 208 | 1.07 (0.95–1.20) | 1.09 (0.96–1.23) | 1.13 (0.98–1.29) |
| >5 | 790 | 70 719 | 1.15 (1.02–1.29) | 1.17 (1.03–1.32) | 1.19 (1.05–1.36) |
| p for trend | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.008 | ||
| Exercise at baseline (h/week) | |||||
| <1 | 821 | 97 499 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| 1 | 740 | 86 712 | 0.92 (0.83–1.02) | 0.96 (0.86–1.06) | 0.98 (0·87–1.10) |
| 2–3 | 1369 | 140 318 | 0.90 (0.83–0.98) | 0.97 (0.89–1.07) | 1.01 (0·91–1.12) |
| 4–5 | 582 | 55 875 | 0.83 (0.75–0.93) | 0.91 (0.81–1.02) | 0.96 (0·84–1.09) |
| >5 | 802 | 64 638 | 0.90 (0.81–0.99) | 1.00 (0.90–1.12) | 1.05 (0.92–1.18) |
| p for trend | 0.01 | 0.76 | 0.60 | ||
| Walking/bicycling at age 30 years | |||||
| Almost never | 259 | 38 662 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| <20 min/day | 717 | 96 153 | 1.02 (0.89–1.18) | 1.03 (0.89–1.19) | 1.08 (0.92–1.26) |
| 20–40 min/day | 1151 | 134 281 | 0.93 (0.81–1.07) | 0.96 (0.84–1.10) | 0.98 (0.84–1.15) |
| 40–60 min/day | 786 | 76 069 | 0.98 (0.85–1.13) | 0.99 (0.86–1.15) | 1.03 (0.88–1.21) |
| >1 h/day | 1223 | 101 287 | 1.04 (0.91–1.20) | 1.04 (0.90–1.20) | 1.08 (0.93–1.27) |
| p for trend | 0.30 | 0.45 | 0.35 | ||
| Walking/bicycling at baseline | |||||
| Almost never | 603 | 59 085 | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) | 1.00 (reference) |
| <20 min/day | 1011 | 112 429 | 0.90 (0.81–1.00) | 0.96 (0.86–1.06) | 0.96 (0.85–1.08) |
| 20–40 min/day | 1216 | 133 991 | 0.83 (0.75–0.91) | 0.89 (0.80–0.99) | 0.90 (0.80–1.01) |
| 40–60 min/day | 740 | 68 753 | 0.87 (0.78–0.97) | 0.95 (0.85–1.07) | 0.97 (0.86–1.11) |
| >1 h/day | 851 | 79 369 | 0.79 (0.71–0.87) | 0.87 (0.77–0.97) | 0.88 (0.77–0.998) |
| p for trend | <0.0001 | 0.03 | 0.09 | ||
*The sum does not add up to the total owing to missing data for the exposure variable.
†Multivariable models were adjusted for age, education (primary school, high school, university), smoking status and pack years of smoking (never smoker, past smoker and <20 pack-years, past smoker and 20–39 pack-years, past smoker and ≥40 pack-years, current smoker and <20 pack-years, current smoker and 20–39 pack-years, current smoker and ≥40 pack-years), body mass index (<23.0, 23.0–24.9, 25.0–29.9, ≥30 kg/m2), diabetes (yes/no), history of hypertension (yes/no), history of coronary heart disease or heart failure (yes/no), family history of myocardial infarction (yes/no), aspirin use (yes/no), and alcohol consumption (g/day, in quartiles). Leisure-time exercise and walking/bicycling were mutually adjusted in the multivariable model.
‡Excluding men with previous coronary heart disease or heart failure at baseline.