Long-Term Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intensity and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: A Prospective Cohort of US Adults

The 2018 physical activity guidelines for Americans recommend a minimum of 150 to 300 min/wk of moderate physical activity (MPA), 75 to 150 min/wk of vigorous physical activity (VPA), or an equivalent combination of both. However, it remains unclear whether higher levels of long-term VPA and MPA are, independently and jointly, associated with lower mortality.

A total of 116 221 adults from 2 large prospective US cohorts (Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1988-2018) were analyzed. Detailed self-reported leisure-time physical activity was assessed with a validated questionnaire, repeated up to 15 times during the follow-up. Cox regression was used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% CI of the association between long-term leisure-time physical activity intensity and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.