REDUCED CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY RISK IN MALE SMOKERS WHO ARE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE - RESULTS FROM A 25-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF THE PROSPECTIVE POPULATION STUDY MEN BORN, IN 1914

Objective: To assess to what extent physical activity during leisure t ime may modify the mortality risk associated with smoking. Methods: Po pulation-based cohort study in the city of Malmo, Sweden. The 642 men included in this study were all born in 1914 and were all free of card iovascular disease at the baseline examination in 1968 and 1969. Smoki ng habits and physical activity during leisure time were assessed by a structured questionnaire. Main outcome measures were total and cardio vascular mortality rates during 25 years of follow-up. Results: The to tal and cardiovascular mortality rates in smokers were 33.2 per 1000 p erson-years and 15.9 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Correspondin g figures in nonsmokers were 17.8 per 1000 person-years and 7.5 per 10 00 person-years. Mortality rates in smokers were strongly related to d aily tobacco consumption. Physically active men had lower overall (adj usted relative risk [RR], 0.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-0.9) and cardiovascular (adjusted RR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9) mortality rates than sedentary men. Physically active men who never smoked (used as t he control category) had the lowest death rate, and physically inactiv e smokers the highest (adjusted RR, 3.6; 95% CI, 2.1-6.3). The cardiov ascular death rates in these 2 groups were 4.3 per 1000 person-years a nd 16.6 per 1000 person-years, respectively (adjusted RR, 5.5; 95% CI, 2.2-13.6). Vigorous physical activity in smokers was associated with an almost 40% lower cardiovascular mortality rate (RR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0. 3-1.2; P=.11). Conclusions: Regular physical activity was associated w ith lower total and cardiovascular mortality rates. Similar effects we re observed in both nonsmokers and smokers.