Overall , the current literature supports clearly the dose-response relationship between physical activity and the seven chronic conditions identified .
Moreover , higher levels of physical activity reduce the risk for premature all-cause mortality .
The current Canadian guidelines appear to be appropriate to reduce the risk for the seven chronic conditions identified above and all-cause mortality
This systematic review examines critically the scientific basis for Canada 's Physical Activity Guide for Healthy Active Living for adults .
Particular reference is given to the dose-response relationship between physical activity and premature all-cause mortality and seven chronic diseases ( cardiovascular disease , stroke , hypertension , colon cancer , breast cancer , type 2 diabetes ( diabetes mellitus ) and osteoporosis ) .
The strength of the relationship between physical activity and specific health outcomes is evaluated critically .
Does walking decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease hospitalizations and death in older adults?
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to determine whether walking is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease hospitalization and death in community-dwelling older men and women . DESIGN A prospect i ve study , with follow-up time of 4 to 5 years ( average 4.2 years ) . SETTING A western Washington health maintenance organization . PARTICIPANTS Men and women aged 65 years and older from a r and om sample of HMO enrollees invited by mail to participate in a health promotion intervention trial ( 36 % accepted the invitation and completed question naires ) . This report is based on 1645 older adults without severe disability and without history of heart disease . Vital status ascertainment was complete ( 100 % ) , and only 2.6 % did not complete the follow-up . MEASUREMENTS Reported frequency and duration of walking for exercise , work , err and s , pleasure , and hiking in the 2 weeks before baseline were used to classify hours of walking per week . The two main outcomes were : ( 1 ) cardiovascular disease hospitalizations with a discharge diagnosis of coronary ( ICD-9-CM 410 - 414 ) or other cardiovascular diseases ( ICD-9-CM 390 - 409 , 415 - 448 ) documented by computerized hospitalization records and ( 2 ) death . Numerous potential confounding factors were considered , including age , sex , treated high blood pressure , current estrogen use and chronic disease score ( ascertained by computerized medical and pharmacy records ) , and ethnicity , education , income , physical function , self-rated health status , smoking , alcohol intake , and body mass index ( ascertained by self-report on the mailed question naire ) . RESULTS Walking more than 4 hours/week was associated significantly with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease hospitalization in both sexes combined compared with walking less than 1 hour/week ( age and sex-adjusted relative risk = 0.69 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.52 - 0.90 ) . This association was not altered by adjustment for baseline cardiovascular risk factors and indicators of general health status . The association was present in all age groups , among those with and without physical limitations , and also among those who did and did not also participate in more vigorous physical activities . Walking more than 4 hours/week was also associated with a reduced risk of death ( age and sex-adjusted relative risk = 0.73 ; 95 % confidence interval , 0.48 - 1.10 ) , however , this association was substantially diminished by adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and measures of general health status . CONCLUSIONS Walking more than 4 hours/week may reduce the risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease events . The association of walking more than 4 hours/week with reduced risk of death may be mediated by effects of walking on other risk factors . These findings provide much stronger evidence than previously available for advising older men and women to embark on or maintain a sustained program of walking to prevent cardiovascular disease events
Overall , the current literature supports clearly the dose-response relationship between physical activity and the seven chronic conditions identified .
Moreover , higher levels of physical activity reduce the risk for premature all-cause mortality .
The current Canadian guidelines appear to be appropriate to reduce the risk for the seven chronic conditions identified above and all-cause mortality
This systematic review examines critically the scientific basis for Canada 's Physical Activity Guide for Healthy Active Living for adults .
Particular reference is given to the dose-response relationship between physical activity and premature all-cause mortality and seven chronic diseases ( cardiovascular disease , stroke , hypertension , colon cancer , breast cancer , type 2 diabetes ( diabetes mellitus ) and osteoporosis ) .
The strength of the relationship between physical activity and specific health outcomes is evaluated critically .