Walking, SD and urinary tract symptoms with BPH: A cross-sectional, retrospective and follow-up chain design study

Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs) are the most common problem in older men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Physical activity and sedentariness may be important LUTS risk factors and suitable targets for intervention. However, what is the most effective way to engage in physical activity? There is still no consensus among academics. OBJECTIVE: To observe which of the two different physical activity modalities, square dancing (SD) or walking, is more effective in delaying the effects of LUTSs/BPH in older men and to provide a basis for promoting active participation in appropriate physical activity for BPH patients. DESIGN: This study was a chain design study with cross-sectional (June 2018), retrospective (from June 2014 to June 2018) and follow-up (June 2018 to June 2020) components for LUTSs. PARTICIPANTS: Men aged 60 and over who could perform physical activity alone and lived in the same community. MAIN MEASURES: The effect of different forms of physical activity on the alleviation of LUTSs in BPH patients was observed retrospectively; the main physical activity patterns of older adults in the town were walking and SD. Therefore, the two physical activity modalities of walking and SD were used as the main study factors, and the propensity score 1:1 matching method was applied to control for confounding factors in the retrospective cohort, which was divided into walking and SD groups to compare the clinical progression of LUTSs in the two groups. The time between study entry into the cohort and LUTS progression (appearance or exacerbation of symptoms) was used as the outcome to determine whether LUTS progression occurred in the two groups. The Cox proportional hazards model was applied to analyze the effect of walking and SD on the delay in the clinical progression of LUTSs/BPH in older men. KEY RESULT: Multifactorial Cox regression analysis showed that patients in the square dancing group had a 0.41-fold lower risk of LUTSs than those in the walking group (HR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.19-0.88, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: SD can more effectively delay the clinical progression of LUTSs in BPH patients, and the results of this study provide a good reference for the selection of self-guided physical activity intervention modalities for BPH patients.