Relation Between Leisure Time, Commuting, and Occupational Physical Activity With Blood Pressure in 125 402 Adults: The Lifelines Cohort

Abstract

Background Whether all domains of daily‐life moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity ( MVPA ) are associated with lower blood pressure ( BP ) and how this association depends on age and body mass index remains unclear. Methods and Results In the population‐based Lifelines cohort (N=125 402), MVPA was assessed by the Short Questionnaire to Assess Health‐Enhancing Physical Activity, a validated questionnaire in different domains such as commuting, leisure‐time, and occupational PA . BP was assessed using the last 3 of 10 measurements after 10 minutes’ rest in the supine position. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg and/or use of antihypertensives. In regression analysis, higher commuting and leisure‐time but not occupational MVPA related to lower BP and lower hypertension risk. Commuting‐and‐leisure‐time MVPA was associated with BP in a dose‐dependent manner. β Coefficients (95% CI ) from linear regression analyses were −1.64 (−2.03 to −1.24), −2.29 (−2.68 to −1.90), and finally −2.90 (−3.29 to −2.50) mm Hg systolic BP for the low, middle, and highest tertile of MVPA compared with “No MVPA ” as the reference group after adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking and alcohol use. Further adjustment for body mass index attenuated the associations by 30% to 50%, but more MVPA remained significantly associated with lower BP and lower risk of hypertension. This association was age dependent. β Coefficients (95% CI ) for the highest tertiles of commuting‐and‐leisure‐time MVPA were −1.67 (−2.20 to −1.15), −3.39 (−3.94 to −2.82) and −4.64 (−6.15 to −3.14) mm Hg systolic BP in adults <40, 40 to 60, and >60 years, respectively. Conclusions Higher commuting and leisure‐time but not occupational MVPA were significantly associated with lower BP and lower hypertension risk at all ages, but these associations were stronger in older adults.

Physical Activity and the Development of Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus, and Cardiovascular- and All-Cause Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients

“…Within this RTR population, MVPA levels were lower than those within the general population. In our study, 38% of RTRs were inactive (no-MVPA), whereas in the Lifelines cohort, a population-based study for which the same questionnaire (SQUASH) and comparable data processing methods were used, the prevalence of inactivity (no-MVPA) was 10% (n = 125,402, 40.5% males, median age of 45) [30,49]. Even in different age groups and gender, it was lower, ranging between 7.5% (n = 42,661, 40% of males, median age of 40) and 12.5% (n = 34,506, 45.6% of males, median age of 56) in the Lifelines.…”

“…We used the combination of leisure-time and commuting (non-occupational) moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) minutes per week (min/week) as a measure of PA in this study, since active commuting of high intensity and longer duration is often replacing sports activities, like cycling. We did not include occupational MVPA in the main analysis because of its health benefit is not clear in the general population [20][21][22]30]. In an additional analysis, we investigated the association between total MVPA, including occupational MVPA, with clinical endpoints.…”

Physical activity and 4-year changes in body weight in 52,498 non-obese people: The Lifelines Cohort

“…Lifelines is a multidisciplinary prospective population-based cohort and biobank of more than 167,000 people living in the North of the Netherlands. [21] It employs a broad range of investigative procedures in assessing the biomedical, socio-demographic, behavioral, physical, and psychological factors that contribute to the health and disease of the general population, with a special focus on multi-morbidity and complex genetics. The study was conducted according to the Helsinki Declaration, and it was approved by the medical ethical committee of the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands.…”

“…Each activity in minutes per week was calculated by multiplying frequency (days/week) by duration (min/day). Then, the activities were assigned to a certain level of effort, or intensity, indicated by the MET value of the activity [20] [21] MET values were assigned to activities with the help of Ainsworth's Compendium of Physical Activities. [22] In this study, non-occupational (combination of commuting and leisure-time) moderate-to-vigorous PA The other participants (MVPA>0 min/week, MPA>0 min/week and VPA>0 min/week) were divided into distinct tertiles of MVPA, MPA and VPA ranging from low (tertile 1, T1), middle (tertile 2, T2) to high (tertile 3, T3).…”

Physical activity and 4-year changes in body weight in 52,498 non-obese people: The Lifelines Cohort

“…Each activity in minutes per week was calculated by multiplying frequency (days/week) by duration (min/day). Then, the activities were assigned to a certain level of effort, or intensity, indicated by the MET value of the activity [20] [21] MET values were assigned to activities with the help of Ainsworth's Compendium of Physical Activities. [22] In this study, non-occupational (combination of commuting and leisure-time) moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; MET ≥ 4.0), moderate PA (MPA; MET between 4 and 6.5) and vigorous PA (VPA; MET ≥ 6.5) categories were used as the main measures of physical activity.…”