Moderate to vigorous physical activity and risk of upper-respiratory tract infection
Authors
Matthews, Charles E.Ockene, Ira S.
Freedson, Patty S.
Rosal, Milagros C.
Merriam, Philip A.
Hebert, James R.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral MedicineDepartment of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2002-08-08Keywords
AdultAge Distribution
Aged
Cohort Studies
Confidence Intervals
Exercise
Exertion
Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Middle Aged
Physical Fitness
Poisson Distribution
Probability
Prospective Studies
Reference Values
Respiratory Tract Infections
Risk Factors
Sex Distribution
Cardiology
Cardiovascular Diseases
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
PURPOSE: A "J"-shaped model has been proposed to describe the relationship between physical activity and risk of upper-respiratory tract infection (URTI). However, little epidemiologic evidence is available to support the contention that moderately active individuals are at lowest risk of URTI. This investigation examined differences in URTI risk between physically inactive and moderately active adults. METHODS: Observational study of 547 healthy adults (49% women) aged 20-70 yr reported URTI events at 90-d intervals over 12-month of follow-up (5 evaluations). Three 24-h physical activity recalls per evaluation were obtained and averaged to quantify total moderate-vigorous activity (> or =3.0 metabolic equivalents [MET]). Associations between URTI and physical activity levels were estimated using incidence rate ratios (IRR) derived using Poisson regression while adjusting for a number of potential confounders including age, education, anxiety, cynicism, and selected dietary factors. RESULTS: Men and women reported 1.2 (1.4) and 1.2 (1.2) URTI events per year, respectively (mean [(SD]). Adjusting for gender and potential confounders, the IRR for less than 3.93, 3.94-7.15, 7.16-11.95, and > or = 11.96 MET-h.d(-1) among men, and less than 2.38, 2.39-4.09, 4.10-6.24, and > or = 6.25 MET-h.d(-1) among women, were 1.00 (referent), 0.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-1.07), 0.88 (95% CI, 0.71-1.09), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.62-0.95), respectively (P(trend) = 0.03). This effect was stronger in men (P(trend) = 0.03) than women (P(trend) = 0.17), although at similar expenditure levels (6-7 MET-h.d-1), risk was reduced by about 20% in men and women. Risk reduction was most pronounced in the fall of the year (P(trend) = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that moderate levels of physical activity are associated with a reduced risk for URTI.Source
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Aug;34(8):1242-8.