Association between domains of physical activity and all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality

Few studies have investigated the independent effects of domain-specific physical activity on mortality. We sought to investigate the association of physical activity performed in different domains of daily living on all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD) and cancer mortality. Using a prospective cohort design, 4,672 men and women, aged 25–74 years, who participated in the baseline examination of the MONICA/KORA Augsburg Survey 1989/1990 were classified according to their activity level (no, light, moderate, vigorous). Domains of self-reported physical activity (work, transportation, household, leisure time) and total activity were assessed by the validated MOSPA (MONICA Optional Study on Physical Activity) questionnaire. After a median follow-up of 17.8 years, a total of 995 deaths occurred, with 452 from CVD and 326 from cancer. For all-cause mortality, hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (HR, 95% CI) of the highly active versus the inactive reference group were 0.69 (0.48–1.00) for work, 0.48 (0.36–0.65) for leisure time, and 0.73 (0.59–0.90) for total activity after multivariable adjustments. Reduced risks of CVD mortality were observed for high levels of work (0.54, 0.31–0.93), household (0.80, 0.54–1.19), leisure time (0.50, 0.31–0.79) and total activity (0.75, 0.55–1.03). Leisure time (0.36, 0.23–0.59) and total activity (0.62, 0.43–0.88) were associated with reduced risks of cancer mortality. Light household activity was related to lower all-cause (0.82, 0.71–0.95) and CVD (0.72, 0.58–0.89) mortality. No clear effects were found for transportation activities. Our findings suggest that work, household, leisure time and total physical activity, but not transportation activity, may protect from premature mortality.