title: The combined relationship of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with all-cause mortality among men, accounting for physical fitness.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the combined relationship of occupational physical activity and leisure-time physical activity with all-cause mortality among men, while accounting for physical fitness. The prospective Belgian Physical Fitness Study included 1,456 male workers aged 40-55 years who were free of coronary heart disease at baseline. Baseline data were collected through questionnaires and clinical examinations from 1976 to 1978. To estimate physical fitness, a submaximal graded exercise test was performed on a bicycle ergometer. Total mortality was registered during a mean follow-up period of 16.9 years. Main results were obtained through Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. A total of 145 deaths were registered during follow-up. After adjustment for confounders, a significantly increased mortality rate was observed in workers who had low levels of both physical activity types (hazard ratio = 2.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.03, 4.19) but also in workers combining high occupational physical activity and low leisure-time physical activity (hazard ratio = 2.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 3.91); the latter finding was particularly pronounced among workers with a low physical fitness level. The present results confirm the existence of a complex interplay among different physical activity settings and fitness levels in predicting mortality.
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clays
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lidegaard
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Bacquer
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Herck
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Backer
authors.forename: France
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kittel
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Smet
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holtermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D009043:Motor Activity; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: mortality; occupation; physical activity; physical fitness