American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on April 29, 2007
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 165(12):1351-1353; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm093
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Invited Commentary: A Challenge for Physical Activity Epidemiology
1 Divisions of Preventive Medicine and Aging, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
2 Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Correspondence to Dr. Howard D. Sesso, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 900 Commonwealth Avenue East, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02215-1204 (e-mail: hsesso{at}hsph.harvard.edu).
Received for publication December 21, 2006. Accepted for publication January 12, 2007.
Numerous epidemiologic studies report an inverse association between increasing levels of regular physical activity and reductions in major morbidity and mortality. Clinical guidelines emphasize the importance of specific amounts of regular physical activity, yet the majority of US adults do not meet these recommended levels. There are comparatively less data on nonexercise, or lifestyle, physical activity that may occur throughout the day in an unstructured setting with variable duration and frequency. In this issue (Am J Epidemiol 2007;165:1343–1350), both regular exercise and other forms of nonexercise physical activity are examined in relation to total and cause-specific mortality in Chinese women. This work illustrates several important issues in physical activity epidemiology regarding the identification, measurement, and analysis of nonexercise components of physical activity. Unlike semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires for studies of individual foods and nutrients, physical activity epidemiology lacks a prevailing measurement tool and analytical technique by which to examine nonexercise physical activity. Our challenge is therefore to more accurately and consistently measure these more subtle components of nonexercise physical activity to better understand its potential clinical effects and role in disease prevention.
exercise; methods; mortality; motor activity; research design
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Related articles in Am. J. Epidemiol.:
- Influence of Exercise, Walking, Cycling, and Overall Nonexercise Physical Activity on Mortality in Chinese Women
- Charles E. Matthews, Adriana L. Jurj, Xiao-ou Shu, Hong-Lan Li, Gong Yang, Qi Li, Yu-Tang Gao, and Wei Zheng
Am. J. Epidemiol. 2007 165: 1343-1350.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text]
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I. Csizmadi, P. J. Robson, and H. K. Neilson RE: "INFLUENCE OF EXERCISE, WALKING, CYCLING, AND OVERALL NONEXERCISE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MORTALITY IN CHINESE WOMEN" Am. J. Epidemiol., December 1, 2007; 166(11): 1355 - 1356. [Full Text] [PDF]
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