Individual level lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic – A Finnish population-based study

Changes in leisure time physical activity and risk of all-cause mortality in men and women: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

We aimed to investigate the association of self-reported leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) over a 45-years from adolescence to late middle age mediated by LTPA in early middle age. We also explored whether LTPA in adolescence and early middle age was associated with change in LTPA during the COVID-19 pandemic. We constructed a path model employing questionnaire data from three LTPA measurements (1976, 2001, 2021) including duplicated assessment for pre- and during COVID-19 in 2021. The direct and indirect associations between LTPA in adolescence, early middle and late middle age were investigated, as well as the impact of previous LTPA on change in late middle age LTPA due to the pandemic. The number of participants per assessment was: n = 2083; n = 1468 (71% of the original); n = 878 (42%) and n = 867 (42%), respectively. However, the number varied depending on the path examined. LTPA in adolescence was associated with LTPA in late middle age, although the association was not strong. LTPA decreased significantly during the pandemic. Earlier LTPA was associated with change in LTPA between before and during COVID-19 among males. This study is the first to demonstrate an association between adolescent and late middle age LTPA. However, the association across the 45-years was low.

Retirement brings changes in daily life, which may have implications for life satisfaction and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). This study sought to examine associations between concurrent changes in life satisfaction and LTPA across retirement, addressing gaps in understanding how life satisfaction influences physical activity in retirees. Study included 3535 public sector workers (83% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study with annual surveys before and after retirement. Participants were categorized based on their Life Satisfaction Scale responses before and after retirement into Stable Low, Low-Increasing, Intermediate-Decreasing, Stable Intermediate, Intermediate-Increasing, High-Decreasing, and Stable High life satisfaction. Self-reported weekly LTPA during past 12 months was summarized as metabolic equivalent hours (METh/week). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine changes in LTPA across retirement transition among these groups, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors. Compared to Stable Low, Low-Increasing life satisfaction was associated with increasing LTPA (mean difference 4.16 METh/week, 95%CI 0.85 to7.47). Compared to Stable Intermediate, Intermediate-Increasing life satisfaction was associated with increasing LTPA (mean difference 1.96 METh/week, 95%CI 0.03 to 3.88), while Intermediate-Decreasing life satisfaction was linked to decreasing LTPA (mean difference −3 .79 METh/week, 95%CI −7.62 to 0.04). No differences were observed between Stable High and High-Decreasing life satisfaction. Changes in life satisfaction during retirement transition are associated with changes in LTPA, especially among those with low or intermediate life satisfaction before retirement. Further research is needed to assess, whether supporting life satisfaction in retirees could foster greater engagement in LTPA.

Trends in Leisure Time and Occupational Physical Activity in the Madrid Region, 1995–2008

Whether changes in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) over time are associated with lower risk of stroke is not well established. We examined the association between changes in self-reported LTPA 10 years apart, with risk of incident stroke in the CTS (California Teachers Study). We hypothesized that the risk of stroke would be lowest among those who remained active. Sixty-one thousand two hundred and fifty-six CTS participants reported LTPA at 2 intensity levels (moderate and strenuous activity) at 2 time points (baseline 1995-96; 10-year follow-up 2005-2006). LTPA at each intensity level was categorized based on American Heart Association (AHA) recommendations (moderate, >150 minutes/week; strenuous, >75 minutes/week). Changes in LTPA were summarized as follows: (1) not meeting recommendations at both time points; (2) meeting recommendations only at follow-up; (3) meeting recommendations only at baseline; and (4) meeting recommendations at both time points. Incident strokes were identified through California state hospitalization records. Using multivariable Cox models, we examined the associations between changes in LTPA with incident stroke. Nine hundred and eighty-seven women were diagnosed with stroke who completed both questionnaires. Meeting AHA recommendations at both the time points was associated with a lower risk of all stroke (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.98). The protective effects for stroke were driven by meeting AHA recommendations for moderate activity and largely observed for ischemic strokes (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.88). Meeting AHA recommendations for moderate activity had a protective effect for reducing ischemic stroke risk. Participants who met AHA recommendations at baseline but not at follow-up, however, were not afforded reduced stroke risk.

The association of changes in leisure-time physical activity on depressive symptoms during Covid-19 in German adults: A longitudinal study

Introduction: Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) has been consistently associated with a lower risk of stroke across several populations. Less is known however about how changes over the life-time in physical activity may influence the risk of stroke. We examined the association of changes in engaging in moderate and strenuous physical activity with risk of stroke in the California Teachers Study. Methods: The California Teachers Study is a prospective cohort study established in 1995. Baseline LTPA was obtained using a questionnaire outlining time spent in moderate (brisk walking for example) and strenuous (swimming and running for example); the same questionnaire was repeated in 2005-6. We defined the exposure as engaging in any activity for at least 15 minutes per week (any) in the second questionnaire when not engaging in any on the first questionnaire, with the reference being no change or a decline in activity between both. Multi-variable Cox models were constructed to examine the association of the change in LTPA with risk of stroke. Separate models were created for moderate and strenuous activity. Results: There were a total of 61,256 participants with two LTPA questionnaires available separated by 10 years. A total of 3,111 participants increased their level of moderate activity, 11,744 remained active in both, 2,760 declined from the first to the second questionnaire, while 2,508 reported no activity in both. There were 987 (709 ischemic, 221 hemorrhagic, 247 deaths) strokes after the second questionnaires (mean follow up 6.5 years). In multi-variable models increasing any moderate intensity from none from the two questionnaires, versus no change or decline in activity, was associated with a lower risk of all stroke (adjusted HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.95). We found no associations of changes in strenuous LTPA with risk of stroke (adjusted HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.83-1.17). The associations were statistically significant for ischemic stroke (adjusted HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89) but not hemorrhagic stroke (adjusted HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.72-1.25). Conclusion: Improving or maintaining moderate intensity physical activity is associated with a lower risk of stroke, while changes in strenuous activity is not.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected all areas in the country. One area whose functioning had been significantly impacted by COVID-19 was education. The goal of this research was to determine practices of covid-19 pandemic containment measures among TVET students in Kakamega County. Cross-sectional research was conducted using a questionnaire. TVET students around the country filled out the survey after it was made available to them online. It was determined whether or not there was a statistically significant correlation between KAP (knowledge and attitude) and other socio-demographic factors by using chi-square testing. Using binary logistic regression, we were able to isolate and adjust for any confounding variables. SPSS was used for the statistical analysis (version 26). According to the respondents' demographic information, the vast majority of participants were male. Participants' average age was under 24. Majority of the respondents were single (n = 306, 78.1%) and were studying for diploma qualification (n = 238, 60.7%). In addition, most of them were in their second year of study (n = 192, 49.0%). With regard to practices, at least six practices were adhered to by 212 (54.1%) of the respondents. These eight PP include things like washing hands and using proper hygiene (70.7%), wearing of face masks (51.0%), and avoiding public places and maintaining a safe distance between individuals (50.9%). (74.0 percent and 64.3 percent respectively). According to the results of the binary logistic regression, females engaged in less harmful activities than men did with respect to COVID-19 (OR = 0.323, p 0.001). Age and academic year were also shown to have a role in the respondents' habits. Students aged 30 and over had a lower odd of engaging in negative behaviors than those aged 24 and under (OR = 0.631, p = 0.0083). In conclusion, over half of respondents were found to adhere to at least six measures, including hand washing and other forms of cleanliness, mask use, avoiding crowded areas, and keeping a safe space between themselves and others. However, a sizable percentage engaged in at least three harmful habits. Based on the findings of this research, the following are the recommended that for future studies, it will be important to get feedback from educators as well as students. The results of such research in the future would add to the body of data supporting the use of confinement techniques.

Background: The benefit of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in preventing peripheral artery disease (PAD) is well established. However, no prior studies have examined how longitudinal changes in LTPA during mid-life influence the risk of future PAD in men and women. Methods: We included participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who attended visit 3 and were free of PAD [ankle brachial index (ABI) >0.90] with available ABI during follow-up (measured ~5, 18, and 25 years after visit 3). LTPA was assessed using the modified Baecke questionnaire and defined as ideal, intermediate, or poor by the American Heart Association. Change in LTPA from visit 1 (1987-1989) to 3 (1993-1995) was subcategorized as 1) persistently poor, 2) decreased, 3) increased, or 4) persistently active. The primary outcome of time-to-incident PAD after visit 3 (ABI ≤ 0.90), was assessed using Cox models adjusted for relevant covariates. Results: A total of 8,421 participants were included (mean age 59 ± 5.5 years, 56% women, 20% Black). From visit 1 to 3, 1,609 participants had persistently poor LTPA, 1,860 decreased their activity, 2,015 increased their activity, and 2,937 remained persistently active. During a median follow-up of 17.7 years, 853 ARIC participants developed PAD (471 women and 382 men). An increasing or persistently active level of LTPA was associated with lower risk of incident PAD (HR 0.74 (0.60, 0.89) p=0.003 and HR 0.71 (0.58, 0.85) p<0.001 respectively) compared to persistently poor LTPA. There was no difference between those in the decreasing LTPA category and those with persistently poor LTPA (HR 0.88 (0.72, 1.09) p=0.24). There were no interactions with race, age, or body mass index; however, there was significant effect modification by sex (p-int 0.01). Men who increased activity or were persistently active had lower risk of developing PAD as compared to those with persistently poor LTPA (Table). There was no association between changes in LTPA and incident PAD in women. Conclusions: Maintaining or increasing LTPA over six years was associated with decreased risk of incident PAD in men but not in women. Further research is needed to clarify sex differences in these associations.

The impact of changes in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is not well-documented, especially when considering occupational physical activity (OPA). This study examines the effects of LTPA changes in workers with varying physical activity demands. Part of the OPERA study, we tracked morbidities for over 20 years (P1, from 1993 to 2014) and mortality for over 8 years (P2, from 2014 to 2021-2022) with 599 participants. They were categorized into four LTPA groups ("sedentary," "started," "quit," "active") and two OPA groups ("office workers" and "occupationally physically active"). Maintaining regular LTPA was associated with lower incidence of hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (p-values 0.007, < 0.001 and <0.001 respectively). Non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events were more common (p = 0.006, HR 1.99, CI95% 1.22-3.26) in the "quit" group during P1, especially among "occupationally physically active" (p < 0.001, HR 2.29, CI95% 1.23-4.29). During P2, fatal CVD events were associated with being in the "sedentary" group (p = 0.042, HR 2.67, CI95% 1.04-7.03). This association was particularly evident among "office workers," where belonging to the "sedentary" and "quit" groups was associated with a higher risk of fatal CVD events (p = 0.017, HR 5.45, CI95%1.36-21.91, and p = 0.025, HR 4.55, CI95% 1.21-17.19, respectively). Furthermore, total mortality was associated with being in the "sedentary" or "quit" groups (p = 0.029, HR 3.69, CI95% 1.14-11.93, and p = 0.009, HR 4.61, CI95%1.47-14.49, respectively). Stopping LTPA in middle age was associated to higher risk for non-fatal CVD events in "occupationally physically active" individuals. Fatal CVD events were associated with a sedentary lifestyle in whole study population. Among "office workers," both a sedentary lifestyle and stopping regular LTPA were associated with higher risks of fatal CVD events and all-cause mortality.

The aim of this study was to determine the association between regular leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and various body mass index (BMI) categories in Taiwanese young adults. A total of 10,802 young adults (18-44 years) were enrolled in a national telephone survey. The questionnaire data from this survey included socio-demographic characteristics, zip code of residence, LTPA behaviors, self-reported health status, and self-evaluated anthropometric measurements, which included height, body weight, and BMI. Regular and non-regular LTPA behaviors were defined as follows: (1) Regular LTPA: participants who reported breathing quickly and sweating when participating in 150-300 min per week of moderate-intensity LTPA or 75-150 min per week of vigorous-intensity LTPA. (2) Non-regular LTPA: the rest of the participants. The various BMI categories were defined as (1) underweight (BMI &lt; 18.5 kg/m2), (2) normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI &lt; 24 kg/m2), (3) overweight (24 ≤ BMI &lt; 27 kg/m2), and (4) obese (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2). When compared with participants with non-regular LTPA, participants with regular LTPA exhibited lower risks of being overweight (odds ratio [OR], 0.837; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.738-0.948) and underweight (OR, 0.732; 95% CI 0.611-0.876). However, there was no significant relationship between regular LTPA and obesity risk when using non-regular LTPA as the baseline after adjusting for potential confounders. The study results revealed that regular LTPA effectively reduced the risks of being underweight and overweight. However, for people with obesity, regular LTPA was unable to significantly decrease their obesity risk.

Risky business: The effects of an individualized health information intervention on health risk perceptions and leisure time physical activity among people with spinal cord injury

The effects of COVID-19 containment measures on health-related lifestyle have been both favourable and unfavourable for health. Factors predisposing to unfavourable changes are still poorly known. In this short communication, we aimed to examine which socioeconomic and health-related factors predicted unfavourable lifestyle changes based on data from the same individuals before (2017) the pandemic and during the second wave (2020) of the pandemic in Finland. This individual-level follow-up study was based on a nationally representative, two-stage stratified cluster sample of Finnish adults from the FinHealth 2017 Study, conducted in Spring 2017, and its follow-up survey, conducted in Autumn 2020. A total of 3834 men and women aged 25-69 years at baseline had information of selected lifestyle factors (vegetable consumption, leisure-time physical activity, sleeping problems and nightmares) available at both time points. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for unfavourable lifestyle changes (yes/no) according to socioeconomic and health-related factors were calculated using logistic regression models taking into account the sampling design and non-response. We found that those having poor health (i.e. psychological distress, poor self-rated health or chronic diseases) or disadvantaged socioeconomic background before the pandemic were prone to unfavourable lifestyle changes during the follow-up. Observed unfavourable lifestyle changes in vulnerable population groups may accelerate health inequalities. Targeted health promotion actions are needed to prevent this unfavourable development.

AimPhysical activity might be able to delay the aging process by reducing levels of advanced glycation end‐products (AGEs). However, the influence of physical activity on levels of AGEs remains unclear. We investigated the associations between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) in late midlife and change in LTPA during a 15‐year follow up on the levels of AGEs in old age.MethodsWe analyzed 767 participants from the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study. LTPA was measured with a validated questionnaire in late midlife and in old age. The levels of AGEs were measured by skin autofluorescence in old age. General linear models and restricted cubic regression spline models were used to study the associations between LTPA and AGEs. Analyses were adjusted for age, alcohol consumption, dietary index, smoking, follow‐up time, body mass index and socioeconomic status.ResultsMean levels of AGEs in women (2.33 AU, SD 0.46) were lower than in men (2.49 AU, SD 0.50, P < 0.001). Women in the lowest LTPA quartile had 0.19 AU (95% CI 0.07–0.32, P = 0.002), 0.21 AU (95% CI 0.09–0.33, P = 0.001) and 0.18 AU (95% CI 0.05–0.31, P = 0.006) higher levels of AGEs compared with women in the second, third and fourth quartile. In the restricted cubic regression spline model, levels of AGEs (P = 0.006) were decreasing with increasing LTPA from 0 to 32 METh/week, after which the association plateaued. No associations were found in men.ConclusionsGreater volume of LTPA in late midlife is associated with lower levels of AGEs in skin tissue in old age in women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 781–788.

BackgroundRegular leisure time physical activity (LTPA) has beneficial health effects in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Yet, participation in LTPA is low, and little is known about changes many years after injury. ObjectivesTo determine changes in LTPA in middle-aged and older adults with long-term SCI over six years, investigate associations with gender, age, injury characteristics and changes in secondary health conditions and activity limitations, and investigate factors related to being physically active or sedentary. MethodsPart of the Swedish Aging with Spinal Cord Injury Study (SASCIS). LTPA was assessed twice over a six-year period with the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for people with Spinal Cord Injury (n = 75; 32% women, mean age 67 years, mean time since injury 31 years, injury levels C1-L3, AIS A-D). Changes were assessed with paired t-tests, McNemar test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test, associations with multivariable regression and group comparisons with Mann-Whitney U test and Chi Square test. ResultsOn group level participation in LTPA did not change, but the variability was substantial on individual level. There were no significant associations between changes in LTPA and the investigated variables. Among sedentary participants, higher level and severity of injury were overrepresented and the activity limitations were greater. ConclusionOur findings indicate stability in LTPA over time, but with a large individual variation. In many participants LTPA was insufficient to reach positive health effects. Promoting participation in LTPA is therefore an important part of the long-term management of middle-aged and older adults aging with long-term SCI.