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Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1978 Dec;32(4):239–243. doi: 10.1136/jech.32.4.239

Vigorous exercise in leisure time and the death rate: a study of male civil servants.

S P Chave, J N Morris, S Moss, A M Semmence
PMCID: PMC1060957  PMID: 744813

Abstract

In 1968-70, 17,944 middle-aged male executive grade civil servants in Great Britain provided a record of their leisure-time activities for two sample days and they have been followed until the end of 1977. In a 20% sample (3591 men), 268 have died. Men who had reported "vigorous exercise" (VE) during the two days suffered fewer deaths from coronary heart disease throughout the years 1968-77; there was no significant difference in mortality from other causes. VE men recorded more physical activity in general, and they saw themselves as physically more active than the rest. Total physical activity scores, however, were weakly related to coronary mortality. Men reporting vigorous exercise smoked somewhat less than other men, but the two factors were independently associated with mortality from coronary heart disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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