Association between Physical Activity and 32 Chronic Conditions among Spanish Adults

Abstract

The objective was to analyse the association between physical activity and the risk of suffering from 32 chronic conditions using a large representative sample of Spanish adults. We utilised the dataset of the last edition of the Spanish National Health Survey, which was conducted in the year 2017. This dataset included a total of 23,089 adults between the ages of 15 and 103 years. The average age was 53.4 years (standard deviation 18.9 years). Regarding sex distribution, 54.1% of the participants were females. The instrument used to measure physical activity was the short form of the international physical activity questionnaire. The question used to evaluate if the participants suffered from chronic conditions was “Have you ever been diagnosed with chronic condition?”. This question was asked for 32 different chronic conditions. The association between low levels of physical activity (exposure) and chronic conditions (outcome) was assessed with multivariable logistic regression analyses. The highest prevalence of chronic conditions was found in the group doing less than 600 MET (metabolic equivalent of task)-min/week of physical activity (in 28 of the 32 conditions analyzed). The lowest prevalence was in the group doing at least 1200 MET-min/week (in 30 of the 32). Adjusted multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that less than 600 MET-min/week of physical activity was significantly associated with a higher risk of 19 chronic conditions. All these significant associations, except for hypertension, were also maintained in those doing less than 1200 MET-min/week. In conclusion, higher physical activity is a protective factor against the risk of suffering from chronic conditions, with the lowest prevalence of chronic conditions in people doing more than 1200 MET-min/week. International physical activity guidelines should recommend at least 1200 MET-min/week to prevent the risk of chronic conditions.