Patterns of household physical activity and risk of mortality in Korea

Abstract

Introduction Physical activity (PA) has been established as a lifestyle factor, which reduces various chronic diseases and mortality risks. However, most of studies have focused on the leisure time PA as the main interest. Household physical activity (HPA) such as washing clothes by hand, cleaning, dish-washing and gardening could also contribute to achieving recommended level of PA. This study aimed to examine patterns of HPA and association between HPA and the hazard of mortality in Korea. Methods A total of 42,328 men and 83,371 women who were aged from 40 to 69 years old and enrolled in the Health Examinees (HEXA) study from 2004 to 2012 were included in this study. Information of four types of HPA, which are washing clothes by hand, cleaning, dish-washing and gardening, and regular exercise including frequency per week and duration were collected by interviewer-administered self-reported questionnaire. Total MET-hour per week of HPA was calculated by weighted MET for each type of HPA and adding them up. Sex-specific categories according to the level of participation in HPA were defined; nonparticipation, Results Women spent much more time to doing HPA than men. Both men and women were more likely to participating in HPA as being unemployed or house wives, never smoker, having more than median calorie intake, and doing sufficient regular exercise. Men who were more educated or living alone participated more often in HPA, while women participated less in HPA as being more educated or living alone. During the 5.2 years of mean follow-up, 1240 men and 767 women died. HPA was associated with decreasing risk of death; HR (95% CIs) for category 2 vs. category 1 = 0.87 (0.77–0.98) and HR (95% CIs) for category 3 vs. category 1 = 0.90 (0.81–1.01). There was no association in the regular exercise group; HR (95% CIs) for category 3 vs. category 1 = 1.01 (0.86–1.19), however, significant association was shown in the non-exercise group; HR (95% CIs) for category 3 vs. category 1 = 0.82 (0.70–0.96). Although the inverse association between HPA and mortality was observed in both men and women, statistically significant association was shown only for men. Conclusion HPA significantly reduced risk of mortality in middle aged Korean adults, especially in men. Even though the men never participated in exercise, participation in HPA could decrease the risk of death. This study suggests that HPA could provide further health benefit apart from the regular exercise.