Exercise Epidemiology

Question 1

what is physical activity

Answer 1

movement that requires energy expenditure

Question 2

what is exercise

Answer 2

planned or structured movement intended to improve fitness
a subcategory of physical activity

Question 3

what is the opinion on exercise

Answer 3

‘the best buy for public health’
decreases risk of many diseases significantly including dementia, depression, type 2 diabetes

Question 4

when did the exploration of the association between exercise and health begin

Answer 4

mid 20th century
began to link lifestyle with chronic disease
Morris and Paffenbarger

Question 5

outline the 1953 study by Morris of bus drivers and conductors

Answer 5

compared rates of CHD in drivers and conductors on london buses, 31,000 men age 35-64
annual rate of CHD was 2.7 per 1000 for drivers and 1.9 per 1000 for conductors
conclusion - employees in positions requiring high physical activityhad lower rates of CHD

Question 6

what was Paffenbargers study on longshore workers

Answer 6

workers classified on estimated energy expenditure per shift
3263 men
outcome - CHD mortality
heavy workers - 59 per 10000
other - 80 per 1000
long term follow up of 22 years
other workers had 2x the risk of fatal MI

Question 7

outline the study of exercise and dementia

Answer 7

colorado university trial of exercise intervention
180 healthy men and women aged 60 to 79
randomised to receieve walking/dance intervention or ‘active’ control
cognitive and MRI assessment at baseline and 24 week follow up
those randomised to walking showed most improvement

Question 8

outline the exercise and gestational (pregnant women) diabetes mellitus study

Answer 8

systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled intervention studies
identified women with low exercise at start of pregnancy - receieved exercise intervention
2873 pregnant women
risk of GDM was 30% lower in women randomised to receieve exercise intervention compared to controls

Question 9

outline the hip hop study

Answer 9

intervention study - 34 men aged 65+
daily hopping on one leg for one year - other leg is control
CT scans showed increase of 7% bone bass in regions that may be important in reducing hip fracture

Question 10

what evidence is most strong

Answer 10

systematic reviews and meta analysis
RCT
controlled longitudinal studies
uncontrolled longitudinal studies
cross-sectional studies
expert opinions

Question 11

outline how levels of exercise have changed over time

Answer 11

suggested they have declined
fewer occupations require manual labour
household chores increasingly automated
increased use of cars

Question 12

what does PHE guidance say about declining rates of activity

Answer 12

population is around 20% less active than in 1960s , if current trends continue it will be 35% less active by 2030

Question 13

gender differences of physical activity

Answer 13

men are typically more active than women

Question 14

why is measuring exercise accurately difficult

Answer 14

relys on questionnaires and self report mainly