Occupational and leisure-time physical activity and the risk of colorectal cancer

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The relation between various measures of physical activity and colorectal cancer risk was considered in a case-control study conducted between 1992 and 1997 in the Swiss canton of Vaud. Cases were 223 patients (142 men, 81 women) below age 75, with colon (n = 119) or rectal (n = 104) cancer; controls were 491 patients (211 men, 280 women) admitted to hospital for acute, non-neoplastic conditions. Compared with the lowest level of physical activity at age 30–39 years, the odds ratios (OR) of colorectal cancer for the highest level were 0.44 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.26–0.73) for occupational and 0.53 (95% CI 0.33–0.86) for leisure-time activity. An inverse association was also observed for physical activity at age 15–19 and 50–59 years. The inverse relation between physical activity and colorectal cancer was observed across strata of sex, age, education, body mass index and alcohol drinking; was somewhat stronger in subjects reporting high total energy, and low vegetable and fibre intakes; and was observed across various colon subsites and rectum. In terms of population attributable risk, increasing physical activity would avoid one-fifth to one-third of incident colorectal cancer cases.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: