The Impact of 10-Year Physical Activity Changes on 7-Year Mortality in Older Mexican Americans

Abstract

Background We investigated the association between 10-years of change in physical activity levels and 7-year all-cause mortality. Methods Mexican-American adults aged 67 and older (N=803) participating in the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (1995/1996 to 2012/2013) were included. All-cause mortality was our outcome. Participants were divided into four groups based on their difference in overall physical activity between 1995/1996 and 2005/2006 measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Participants were classified as having unchanged low physical activity (n=339), decreased activity (n=233), unchanged high activity (n=166), and increased activity (n=65). Change in the frequency of physical activity domains were also investigated. Physical-activity domains included leisure, household, sedentary, and walking activities. Results After controlling for all covariates, results from the Cox proportional hazards regression found a 43% lower mortality risk in the increased physical activity group [Hazards Ratio (HR) =0.57, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.34–0.97)] compared to the unchanged low physical activity group. In the entire sample, a significantly lower mortality risk was also present among walking (HR=0.88) and household (HR=0.88) activities. Conclusion Our results suggest that, independent of other factors, increasing physical activity is most protective of mortality among older Mexican-Americans.

Trajectories of physical activity from midlife to old age and associations with subsequent cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality

“…Comparisons with previous studies investigating change in PA are not straightforward given the different methodologies used to identify trajectories. Studies reporting change across two time points suggest that initiating an active lifestyle can induce comparable survival benefits as those who are persistently active 4 14 16 18 36. Similarly, when using the observed trajectories based on binary exposure measurements, we found that current/most recent PA was critical in the protection against mortality.…”

“…However, major life transitions such as retirement are periods when PA may be sensitive to change 9–11. Previous studies suggest that initiation or maintenance of an active lifestyle can reduce mortality risks4 12–18 but the majority of these studies capture change across two time points only. Utilising additional repeated measures may give a more reliable estimate of the relationship between long-term PA and mortality.…”

Association of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Across the Adult Life Course With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality

“…Hence, we were able to examine 10 empirically derived trajectories of LTPA reflecting long-term behavioral patterns, whereas previous studies mostly examined changes in behaviors across 2 time points (baseline and follow-up) in midlife or mean changes in activity (rate of change), limiting our understanding of the implications of increasing or decreasing physical activity in different age groups during adulthood. 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 …”

“…Little is known about how long-term participation in LTPA from adolescence to early adulthood and into middle age may affect mortality. There have been studies conducted on mortality risk from maintaining or changing LTPA during adulthood, 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 although those studies primarily examined changes in physical activity occurring during midlife for short periods of time (eg, 2-7 years), but not from adolescence into middle and older ages. Furthermore, only 2 of the midlife change studies examined cause-specific mortality.…”

Physical Activity in Older Mexican Americans Living in Two Cities on the U.S.-Mexico Border

“…Epidemiological information on physical activity among older age Hispanic subgroups, in general, is limited [ 8 ]. Most physical activity studies have used large datasets, taken place in subpopulations in the northeastern United States, or as part of intervention studies [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], ignoring nuances in subcommunities like that of the U.S.-Mexico border region. There is growing evidence that geographic location and context is an important predictor of physical activity engagement [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”