More physical activity cuts hospitalizations for common conditions, finds study

Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower risks for hospitalization for nine of the 25 most common reasons for hospitalization, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in JAMA Network Open.

Eleanor L. Watts, D.Phil., from the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues examined the association between accelerometer-measured physical activity and the subsequent risk for hospitalization for 25 common reasons. The analysis included data from 81,717 U.K. Biobank participants (aged 42 to 78 years) followed for a median 6.8 years.

The researchers found that higher levels of accelerometer-measured physical activity were associated with lower risks for hospitalization for nine conditions: gallbladder disease (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 standard deviation [SD] of physical activity, 0.74), urinary tract infections (HR per 1 SD, 0.76), diabetes (HR per 1 SD, 0.79), venous thromboembolism (HR per 1 SD, 0.82), pneumonia (HR per 1 SD, 0.83), ischemic stroke (HR per 1 SD, 0.85), iron deficiency anemia (HR per 1 SD, 0.91), diverticular disease (HR per 1 SD, 0.94), and colon polyps (HR per 1 SD, 0.96). An increase in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 20 minutes per day was associated with reductions in hospitalization ranging from 3.8 percent for colon polyps to 23.0 percent for diabetes.

“Increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 20 minutes per day may be a useful nonpharmaceutical intervention to reduce hospital admissions for many common health conditions, which could lower hospital burdens and improve quality of life,” the authors write.

More information:
Eleanor L. Watts et al, Association of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity Level With Risks of Hospitalization for 25 Common Health Conditions in UK Adults, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.56186

Journal information:
JAMA Network Open

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