PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AND 10-YEAR MORTALITY FROM CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASES AND ALL CAUSES - THE ZUTPHEN-ELDERLY-STUDY

Background: Little is known about physical activity and mortality risk in the elderly. Therefore, we describe the associations between the p hysical activity pattern of elderly men and the mortality from cardiov ascular diseases (CVDs), particularly coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, and all causes. Methods: Self-reported physical activity was assessed with a validated questionnaire for retired men in a populatio n-based sample of 802 Dutch men, aged 64 to 84 years at baseline. Rela tive risks were estimated for 10-year mortality from CVD (199 deaths), CHD (90), stroke (47), and all causes (373) for tertiles of time spen t on physical activity (reference, lowest tertile). Adjustments were m ade for baseline age, relevant major chronic diseases, cigarette smoki ng, and alcohol consumption. Results: Mortality risks from CVD and all causes decreased with increasing physical activity (P for trend =.04) with adjusted relative risks of 0.70 (95% confidence interval, 0.48-1 .01) and 0.77 (95% confidence interval, 0.59-1.00) in the highest tert ile of total physical activity, respectively. Except for CHD, time spe nt in more intense activities (greater than or equal to 4 kcal/kg per hour) was more strongly associated with all mortality outcomes than le ss intense activities, but no single type of activity was particularly protective. Walking or cycling at least 3 times per week for 20 minut es tour definition of activity based on general health recommendations ) was associated with reduced mortality from CVD (adjusted relative ri sk, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.88) and all causes (relative risk, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.88). Additional adjustmen t for biological cardiovascular risk factors did not affect the streng th of any association. Conclusion: In a general population of elderly men, physical activity may protect against mortality from CVDs and all causes.