Association between household physical activity level and type 2 diabetes among urban males in northern China

Household physical activity and subjective well-being: An international comparison among East Asian older adult populations

PURPOSE

Engaging in lifelong physical activity has multiple health benefits for older populations. Household physical activity occupies older adults' awake time, and they can be an important energy expenditure during the day. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between older adults' household physical activity and subjective well-being in four East Asian societies.

METHODS

The study design was a secondary data analysis. Data were retrieved from the module of Families 2016 in the database of the East Asian Social Survey. Participants were community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 70.30±7.50 years and who lived in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Data were collected by interviews via structured questionnaires between 2016 and 2018. Descriptive analyses, independent t-tests, and an analysis of covariance were performed for the statistical analyses.

RESULTS

In total, there were 3,432 valid responses. Participants who lived in Taiwan had significantly lower levels of total household physical activity than those living in other societies. Older adults' household physical activity was found to significantly differ by age, educational degree, gender, religion, marital status, occupation, and whether living alone. Older adults with high levels of household physical activity had significantly higher self-rated health and marital satisfaction than those with low levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Household physical activity has potential benefits for subjective well-being across international older adult populations. Increasing household physical activity is recommended for older married couples to maintain marital satisfaction.

Physical Activity Types, Physical Activity Levels and Risk of Diabetes in General Adults: The NHANES 2007-2018

BACKGROUND

Recreational activities show benefits for diabetes prevention, but work-related activity and the total amount of individual physical activity is rarely discussed.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the participation in five typical physical activities (vigorous work activity, vigorous recreational activities, moderate work activity, moderate recreational activities, and walk/bicycle for transportation), as well as the weekly distribution of total physical activity intensity, and to explore the relationships between physical activity types, physical activity levels, and risk of diabetes.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

METHODS

The self-reported physical activity data on specific domains of physical activity were acquired from individuals in the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) using the Physical Activity Questionnaire (PAQ). Diabetes status was assessed by self-reported medical diagnosis or medication usage, or a fasting glucose concentration ≥ 126 mg/dL (fasting is defined as no caloric intake for at least 8 h) or HbA1c ≥ 6.5%. Weighted logistic regression was used to investigate the associations between physical activity types, physical activity levels, and risk of diabetes.

RESULTS

Diabetes was less prevalent in people who participated in physical activity and the risk of diabetes reduced progressively as total physical activity levels increased. Younger adults (20-44 years) and males reported a higher proportion of high-intensity physical activity participation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the importance of a physically active lifestyle for preventing diabetes. Distinct types of physical activity had different effects on the risk of diabetes. A greater total physical activity level was related to a substantial reduction in diabetes risk.

The relationship between physical activity, physical health, and mental health among older Chinese adults: A scoping review

The aging Chinese population is growing fast, and the proportion of the population aged 60 years old is projected to reach 28% by 2040, estimated 402 million. With increased life expectancy, the aging population tends to suffer from health risks and diseases, which create a burden on public health policy. Hence, it is essential to promote healthy and active aging, which includes improving older adults' physical and mental capacities and advocating for the achievement of a healthy life expectancy. Despite the rapidly growing aging population in China, there have been no reviews investigating the effect of physical activity on physical and mental health among older Chinese adults. Therefore, the current study aimed to review studies from the past 15 years that illustrate the effect of physical activity on physical and mental health among Chinese older adults. Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR), this review addresses the associations between physical activity, physical health and mental health among older Chinese adults. A total of 371 studies were included in the scoping review, which covered the relationships between physical activity, physical health and mental health variables. The scoping review also revealed the impact of various kinds of physical activity affecting older adults' physical health, such as functional fitness, body composition, fall risk and balance, and mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, cognitive function and quality of life. Moreover, studies have identified innovative forms of physical activity as emerging trends in physical activity interventions for older adults. To conclude, this scoping review captured the common effects between physical activity and overall wellbeing, including physical, mental, and cognitive health. Additionally, diverse forms of physical activity intervention, such as group-based and supervised individual interventions, should be supported, and cross-cultural exercise comparisons should be made in future explorations.

Participation in Household Physical Activity Lowers Mortality Risk in Chinese Women and Men

The health benefits of sport and physical exercise (SPE) have been well documented, while the influence of household physical activity (HPA) on health has received much less research attention. This study aims to provide epidemiologic insight into the role HPA plays in the development of all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), respiratory disease (RESP), and cancer mortality in a nationwide cohort of Chinese adults. We conceived a prospective cohort comprising 30,791 participants aged ≥16 years from 25 provinces of China using data derived from baseline (2010) and 4 waves of follow-up (2012-2018) investigations of the China Family Panel Studies. Self-reported times of HPA and SPE were collected by interviewing participants with a standard questionnaire. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the associations of HPA and SPE with all-cause, CVD, RESP, and cancer mortality, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, lifestyle behaviors, and health status. A restricted cubic spline smoother was used to investigate the dose-response relationships of HPA and SPE with mortality outcomes. Sex subgroup analyses were conducted to examine the potential effect disparity between men and women. To investigate the interactive effects of HPA and SPE, we calculated the relative excess risk due to the interaction and attributable proportion of additive effects to the total observed effects. During a median follow-up of 7.2 years, a total of 1,649 deaths occurred, with 209 cases from CVD, 123 from RESP, and 323 from cancer. HPA was identified to be associated with reduced mortality outcomes, suggesting remarkably reduced risks of 43-60% in all-cause mortality, 42-50% in CVD mortality, 36-71% in RESP mortality, and 38-46% in cancer mortality. In general, higher levels of HPA tended to be associated with lower risks. An approximately inverted J-shape association was identified between HPA and all-cause and cause-specific mortality, suggesting strong evidence for potential nonlinearity. Women performing HPA had a lower risk of all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality. We did not identify significant evidence for additive interaction between HPA and SPE. HPA is independently associated with a reduced risk of mortality in Chinese women and men. More biological studies are needed to validate our findings and clarify the mechanisms underlying the association.

Depressive Symptoms as Mediator on the Link between Physical Activity and Cognitive Function: Longitudinal Evidence from Older Adults in China

OBJECTIVES

This study examines the extent to which depressive symptoms mediate the link between physical activity and cognitive function among older adults in China.

METHODS

This study utilizes the 2013-18 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) dataset, of which 3,658 subjects over the age of 50 satisfied inclusion criteria. Degree of physical activity, prevalence of depressive symptoms, and performance in cognitive function are measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) instruments. A structural mediation model was built to assess the degree to which depressive symptoms act as mediator between physical activity and cognitive function.

RESULTS

Physical activity is positively and significantly associated with cognitive function (std β = 0.034, p-value = .007), while physical activity is negatively and significantly associated with prevalence of depressive symptoms (std β = -0.088, p-value < .001). Results indicate that depressive symptoms partially and significantly mediate the relationship between physical activity and cognitive function (std β = 0.003, p-value = .035). Total influence of physical activity on cognitive performance is evaluated to be 0.037 standard deviations (p-value = .035).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings uncover an underexamined mental well-being channel through which physical activity can positively influence late adulthood cognition.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

In recommending behavioral modifications to reduce risks of late adulthood cognitive decline, encouraging physical activity for older individuals is key, since it is both directly associated with better cognitive performance, as well as indirectly through lowering prevalence of depressive symptoms.

Dose-response association between physical activity and clustering of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among 26,093 Chinese adults

BACKGROUND

There is uncertain evidence in the dose-response association between overall physical activity levels and clustering of cardiovascular diseases modifiable risk factors (CVDMRF) in Chinese adults. This study examined the hypothesis whether inverse dose-response association between overall physical activity levels and clustering of CVDMRF in Chinese adults exist.

METHODS

Twenty-six thousand ninety-three Chinese adult participants were recruited by two independent surveys in Nanjing and Hefei during 2011 to 2013, from random selected households provided smoking, glucose, lipids, anthropometric, and blood pressure measurements. Logistic regression model was applied to examine the dose-response association between overall physical activity (measured by metabolic equivalent task (MET)- minutes per week) and having ≥1, ≥2, and ≥ 3 CVDMRF (dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and overweight).

RESULTS

An inverse linear dose-response relationship between physical activity and clustering of CVDMRF was identified, as increased physical activity levels are associated with lower odds of having clustering of CVDMRF. The adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of having ≥1, ≥2, and ≥ 3 CVRF for moderate physical activity group and high physical activity group was 0.88 (0.79 to 0.98) and 0.88 (0.79 to 0.99), 0.85 (0.78 to 0.92) and 0.85 (0.78 to 0.92), 0.84 (0.76 to 0.91) and 0.81 (0.74 to 0.89), respectively, with low physical activity as reference group.

CONCLUSIONS

Among Chinese adults, physical activity level inversely associates with clustering of CVDMRF, especially in those aged 35-54 years. Health promotion including improve physical activity should be advocated. The potential role of physical activity in the clustering of CVDMRF warrants further validation.