All-Cause Mortality Associated With Physical Activity During Leisure Time, Work, Sports, and Cycling to Work

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Abstract
A NUMBER of prospective studies1 have shown lower mortality rates in physically active men compared with sedentary men. Most studies2-4 of men have focused on the amount of leisure time physical activity. Also, physical activity at work5,6 and the intensity of physical activity have been shown to be associated with a lower risk of disease and death.2 Less evidence exists for women. Lissner et al7 examined the relation between all-cause mortality and physical activity in women. They reported that mortality was twice as high in the group with the lowest activity level compared with the more active groups. In contrast, Blair et al8 found no difference in mortality between physical activity groups in women. They suggested that the physical activity assessment technique they used was less accurate in women than in men, since focus was on self-reported traditional sport and leisure time physical activities, omitting other activities pertinent to this group, such as housework and child care. Studies associating physical activity in daily living, such as cycling to work, to mortality are few.