Accelerometer-measured Physical Activity And Risks Of Hospitalization For 25 Common Conditions

PURPOSE: Associations of physical activity with many common non-severe conditions are not known. These conditions impose large healthcare burdens, reduce quality of life and are often risk factors for more severe diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationships between accelerometer-measured physical activity and subsequent risks of hospitalization for common conditions. METHODS: Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for average accelerometer-measured activity (per 1 standard deviation (SD)) and risks of hospitalization for 25 conditions based on 82,000 UK Biobank study participants. We also estimated the proportion of hospitalizations that may be prevented if participants increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by 20-min/day. RESULTS: Higher levels of physical activity were associated with lower risks of hospitalization for gallbladder disease (HR per 1 SD = 0.74, 95% CI 0.69-0.79), diabetes (0.79,0.74-0.84), urinary tract infections (0.76,0.69-0.84), venous thromboembolism (0.82,0.75-0.90), pneumonia (0.83,0.77-0.89), ischemic stroke (0.85,0.76-0.95), iron deficiency anemia (0.91,0.84-0.98), diverticular disease (0.94,0.90-0.99) and colon polyps (0.96,0.94-0.99). We also observed positive relationships with carpal tunnel (1.28,1.18-1.40), osteoarthritis (1.15,1.10-1.19) and inguinal hernia (1.13,1.07-1.19), relating to light physical activity. Increasing MVPA by 20-min/day was associated with lower hospitalizations for 9 conditions, ranging from 3.8% (1.8-5.7%: colon polyps) to 23.0% (17.1-28.9%: diabetes). CONCLUSION: Higher physical activity levels are associated with lower risks of hospitalization across a broad range of conditions, particularly MVPA. Increasing MVPA by 20-min/day may be a useful non-pharmaceutical intervention to lower healthcare burdens and improve quality of life.