There is evidence linking higher levels of physical activity to lower chances of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Yet, for many common and frequently less serious conditions, the links between physical activity and hospitalization risks are not well recognized.
Accelerometers track all of the actions carried out throughout the day and keep track of their duration, intensity, and frequency, all of which contribute significantly to the overall amount of energy used during physical activity. Large-scale prospective studies of physical activities and illness risk have relied almost completely on self-reported physical activity. As a result, they are susceptible to measurement mistakes and biases, which casts doubt on the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes.
In the present study, researchers explored the relationship between physical activity measured by accelerometers and hospitalization risk associated with 25 common reasons for hospitalization.
The team invited almost 9.2 million individuals for study participation. Between 13 March 2006 and 1 October 2010, a total of 502,625 participants aged between 40 and 69 joined the study cohorts and attended one of 22 assessment sites in England, Scotland, and Wales. Using a self-administered touch-screen questionnaire and a computer-assisted personal interview, participants provided data on various sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle-related factors. The assessment center also measured the height and weight of the participants.
Subjects who provided a verified email address were randomly selected to receive invitations via email to use a wrist-worn accelerometer for seven days to estimate physical activity levels. Before accelerometer measurements, participants’ characteristics were gathered for an average of 5.7 years. During accelerometer evaluations, the final cohort involved 81,717 people aged between 42 and 78.
