Physical activity and headache: results from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).
The aim of this study was to evaluate, using a prospective and a cross-sectional design, the relationship between level of physical activity and migraine and non-migraine headache. In the prospective part, 22,397 participants, not likely to have headache, answered questions about physical activity at baseline (1984-1986) and responded to a headache questionnaire at follow-up. In the cross-sectional part (1995-1997), 46,648 participants answered questions about headache and physical activity. Physically inactive individuals at baseline were more likely than active individuals to have non-migraine headache 11 years later (odds ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 1.02, 1.28). In the cross-sectional analyses, low physical activity was associated with higher prevalence of migraine and non-migraine headache. In both headache groups, there was a strong linear trend (P < 0.001) of higher prevalence of 'low physical activity' with increasing headache frequency. The result may indicate that physical inactivity among headache-free individuals is a risk factor for non-migraine headache and that individuals with headache are less physically active than those without headache.
Varkey
E
E
Cephalea Headache Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden. emma.varkey@cephalea.se
Hagen
K
K
Zwart
J-A
JA
Linde
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006261:Headache / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult