Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To study the association of intensity and volume of individual physical activities with mortality risk among US older males. METHODS: We prospectively followed 10,218 men in Health Professionals Follow-up Study (2012-2022) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease or cancer at baseline. Intensity of biking, swimming and tennis was assessed using biennial questionnaires and categorized into two intensity groups: low intensity, medium/high intensity. Cumulative averaged physical activity volume was classified based on tertiles: low volume, medium/high volume. We examined joint associations of physical activity intensity and volume with mortality using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % CI. RESULTS: During 89,168 person-years of follow-up (mean [SD] age at baseline, 73.8 [6.9] years [range, 65-102 years]), 2303 deaths were documented. Medium/high intensity performed at medium/high volume was suggestively associated with reduced mortality risk for biking (HR: 0.83 [95 % CI: 0.73, 0.94]), swimming (HR: 0.81 [95 % CI: 0.63, 1.03]), and tennis (HR: 0.83 [95 % CI: 0.65, 1.05]), compared with non-participation in these activities, respectively. Further, specific levels of intensity and volume in biking (medium/high intensity and low volume: HR 0.89 [95 % CI: 0.76, 1.05]), swimming (low intensity and low volume: HR 0.77 [95 % CI: 0.57, 1.06]), and tennis (low intensity and medium/high volume: HR 0.49 [95 % CI: 0.23, 1.01]) were suggestively associated with reduced mortality risk compared with non-participants. CONCLUSIONS: Both physical activity intensity and volume inform on mortality risk for biking, tennis and swimming, highlighting the necessity of examining both factors in future research.