title: A high level of household physical activity compensates for lack of leisure time physical activity with regard to deficit accumulation: Results from the KORA-Age study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aging is associated with increasing loss of physiological resilience and successive accumulation of physiological deficits. This can be measured through a frailty index which sums up symptoms, health conditions and impairments. One possible factor in preventing or delaying deficit accumulation is physical activity. The effect of leisure time physical activity on health is well investigated; however, the effect of household physical activity is less clear. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association of household physical activity with deficit accumulation while controlling for level of leisure time physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data originates from the 2008 baseline assessment of the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age study from Southern Germany. A frailty index of deficit accumulation (Deficit Accumulation Index, DAI) was constructed from 31 age-related health deficits. Physical activity was measured with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). The association of deficit accumulation and physical activity was analyzed using negative binomial regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants' (n=960, mean age 76years, 49.0% female) DAI ranged from 0.00 to 0.68. Higher levels of both types of physical activity were statistically significantly associated with less deficit accumulation. Participants in the highest household (leisure time) physical activity quartile had 29% (30%) less deficits than participants in the respective lowest quartiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High levels of household physical activity might compensate for low levels of leisure time physical activity in the prevention of deficit accumulation. Further research efforts investigating the temporal sequence of this association are needed.
authors: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: anna_janina.stephan@med.uni-muenchen.de.
authors: Anna-Janina
authors: AJ
authors: Stephan
authors: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Ralf
authors: R
authors: Strobl
authors: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Müller
authors: Institute of Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Rolf
authors: R
authors: Holle
authors: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Christine S
authors: CS
authors: Autenrieth
authors: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Thorand
authors: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Birgit
authors: B
authors: Linkohr
authors: Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: Annette
authors: A
authors: Peters
authors: Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Grill
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015444:Exercise; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male
keywords: Aged; Exercise; Health status; Protective factors