Table 3.
Cohort studies comparing the life expectancy of physically active and inactive persons.
| Sex | Age (class) at start of followup | Authors | Country | Number of individuals, duration of followup | Estimate additional years of life (95% CI) (years) | Activity of the “active” group | Activity of the “inactive” group | Confounding factors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | 30 | Fraser and Shavlik [17] | USA | #12 y | 2.19 (0.92–3.45)∗ |
At least 3 times per week vigorous all-day or sports activities ≥15 min. | Less than 3 times per week intensive all-day and sportive activities ≥15 min. | Vegetarian/nonvegetarian, high/low nut consumption, body mass index, never/past smoker, hormone replacement therapy |
| 30 | Wen et al. [27] | Taiwan | 216.910 8.05 ± 4.02 y |
3.67 84.08 versus 87.75 |
Very vigorous physical activity (≥25.5 MET·h/week) during leisure time | Inactivity (<3.75 MET·h/week) during leisure time | Age, sex, education, physical work, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, cancer, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index | |
| 45 | Bélanger et al. [28] | Canada | #2 y | 6.9 81.7 versus 88.6 |
≥1.5 kcal/kg/d energy expenditure during leisure time |
<1.5 kcal/kg/d energy expenditure during leisure time |
||
| 50 | Jonker et al. [18] | USA (Framingham Heart Study) |
2.813 12 y |
3.7 (2.6–4.9) 82.3 versus 86.0 |
High physical activity level (>33 METs/d) | Low physical activity level (<30 METs/d) | Age, education, smoking, marital status, cardiovascular and lung diseases, cancer, left ventricular hypertrophy, arthritis, ankle edema, total cholesterol, familial history of diabetes mellitus | |
| 50 | Nusselder et al. [20] | The Netherlands | 1.447 2 y |
1.8 (0.5–2.7) 76.5 versus 78.3 |
Walking, biking, gardening, sports >17.33 METs/week | Walking, biking, gardening, sports <12 METs/week | Age, sex, education, cardiovascular disease, cancer, COPD, arthritis, back complaints, neurological diseases | |
| 50 | Nusselder et al. [19] | USA (Framingham Heart Study) | 2.873 12 y |
3.4 (2.3–4.5) 82.7 versus 86.1 |
High physical activity level (>33 METs/d) | Low physical activity level (<30 METs/d) | Age, sex, education, marital status, smoking, body mass index, blood pressure, cancer, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy, ankle edema, any pulmonary disease, smoking | |
| 65 | Ferrucci et al. [29] | USA | 5.215 6 y |
Nonsmoker: 5.7 77.7 versus 83.4 Smoker: 4.2 76.1 versus 80.3 |
High physical activity (gardening, walking, vigorous exercise) each once per week or several times per month or one of these activities several times per week and another activity once per week or several times per month | Activities as in the active group at most once per month | ||
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| Men | 30 | Fraser and Shavlik [17] | USA | #12 y | 2.1 (0.4–3.9)∗ |
At least 3 times per week vigorous all-day or sports activities ≥15 min. | Less than 3 times per week intense all-day and sportive activities ≥15 min. | Vegetarian/nonvegetarian, high/low nut consumption, body mass index, never/past smoker, hormone replacement therapy |
| 30 | Wen et al. [27] | Taiwan | 199.265 8.05 ± 4.02 y |
4.21 80.37 versus 84.58 |
Very vigorous physical activities (≥25.5 MET·h/week) during leisure time | Inactivity (<3.75 MET·h/week) during leisure time | Age, sex, education, physical work, smoking, drinking, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, history of cancer, fasting blood glucose, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index | |
| 35–39 | Paffenbarger et al. [21] | USA (Harvard Alumni) | 16.936 16 y |
1.5∗ | Physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, sports) ≥2.000 kcal/week | Physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, sports) <2.000 kcal/week | Age, cigarette smoking, arterial hypertension, body mass index, age of parental death | |
| 35–39 | Paffenbarger et al. [22] | USA (Harvard Alumni) | 16.936 12–16 y |
2.51∗ | Physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, sports) ≥2.000 kcal/week | Physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, sports) <500 kcal/week | Age, cigarette smoking, arterial hypertension, body mass index, age of parental death | |
| 40–59 | Menotti et al. [25] | Italy | 1.712 40 y |
1.6∗ | Physically active | Sedentary | Age, family history of both parents, mean blood pressure, serum cholesterol, mid-arm circumference, forced exspiratory volume, chronic diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes mellitus, cancer), corneal arcus, xanthelasma, body mass index | |
| 45 | Bélanger et al. [28] | Canada | #2 y | 3.9 76.9 versus 80.8 |
≥1.5 kcal/kg/d energy expenditure during leisure time | <1.5 kcal/kg/d energy expenditure during leisure time | ||
| 45–54 | Paffenbarger et al. [23] | USA (Harvard Alumni) | 10.269 8 y |
0.43∗ | Physical activities ≥2.000 kcal/week | Physical activities <2.000 kcal/week | Age, cigarette smoking, arterial hypertension, overweight, early parental death | |
| 45–54 | Paffenbarger et al. [24] | USA (Harvard Alumni) | 14.785 11 y |
1.78∗ | Physical activity (walking, stair climbing, sports, or recreational activities) increased from <1.500 to ≥1.500 kcal/week | Physical activity (walking, stair climbing, sports, or recreational activities) continuing <1.500 kcal/week | Age, cigarette smoking, arterial hypertension, overweight, alcohol consumption, early parental death, chronic diseases | |
| 50 | Jonker et al. [18] | USA (Framingham Heart Study) | 2.396 12 y |
4.1 (2.8–5.4) 75.3 versus 79.4 |
High physical activity level (>30 METs/d) | Low physical activity level (<30 METs/d) | Age, education, smoking, marital status, cardiovascular and lung diseases, cancer, left ventricular hypertrophy, arthritis, ankle edema, total cholesterol, familial history of diabetes mellitus | |
| 50 | Nusselder et al. [20] | The Netherlands | 1.519 2 y |
2.9 (0.9–4.3) 74.8 versus 76.7 |
Walking, biking, gardening, sports >17.33 METs/week | Walking, biking, gardening, sports <12 METs/week | Age, sex, education, cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, back complaints, neurological diseases | |
| 50 | Nusselder et al. [19] | USA (Framingham Heart Study) | 2.336 12 y |
3.5 (2.5–4.6) 76.4 versus 80.0 |
High physical activity level (>33 METs/d) | Low physical activity level (<30 METs/d) | Age, sex, education, marital status, body mass index, blood pressure, cancer, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy, ankle edema, any pulmonary disease, smoking | |
| 50 | Byberg et al. [16] | Sweden | 2.205 35 y |
2.3 (1.3–3.3)∗ |
Regularly hard physical training or competitive sport or any active recreational sports or heavy gardening at least 3 hours every week | Spending most of the time reading, watching TV, going to the cinema, or engaging in other, mostly sedentary activities | Smoking, weight and height, alcohol use, obesity, diabetes mellitus, musculoskeletal, neurological, or psychiatric disorders, blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs, total serum cholesterol, educational level, socioeconomic group | |
| 65 | Ferrucci et al. [29] | USA | 3.389 6 y |
Nonsmoker: 5.2 76.0 versus 81.2 Smoker: 3.4 74.5 versus 77.9 |
High physical activity (gardening, walking, vigorous exercise) each once per week or several times per month or one of these activities several times per week and another activity once per week or several times per month | Activities as in the active group maximally once per month | ||
∗Total life expectancy not presented, #number of individuals not differentiated between men and women.