Physical Inactivity and Life Expectancy in Canada

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter T. Katzmarzyk

Background:Although the prevalence of physical inactivity is high in Canada, few studies have assessed its public health impact.Methods:A cause-deleted methodology was employed to estimate the effects of physical inactivity on life expectancy. Life expectancy in 2002 was estimated from an abridged life table analysis, which was repeated after removing deaths from physical inactivity. Deaths from physical inactivity were estimated from published population-attributable fractions for coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, colon cancer, breast cancer, and type 2 diabetes.Results:Life expectancy was 79.7 y in the total population, 77.2 y in males, and 82.1 y in females. Compared to overall life expectancy, physical inactivity cause-deleted values were 0.86 y lower in the total population, 0.65 y lower in males, and 1.0 y lower in females.Conclusions:Life expectancy could be increased by over 10 months if Canadians could be encouraged to be physically active.

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 76-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Krueger ◽  
J.M. Koot ◽  
D.P. Rasali ◽  
S. E. Gustin ◽  
M. Pennock

Introduction Prevalence rates of excess weight, tobacco smoking and physical inactivity vary substantially by geographical region within British Columbia (B.C.). The purpose of this study is to determine the potential reduction in economic burden in B.C. if all regions in the province achieved prevalence rates of these three risk factors equivalent to those of the region with the lowest rates. Methods We used a previously developed approach based on population-attributable fractions to estimate the economic burden associated with the various risk factors. Sexspecific relative risk and age/sex-specific prevalence data was used in the modelling. Results The annual economic burden attributable to the three risk factors in B.C. was about $5.6 billion in 2013, with a higher proportion of this total attributable to excess weight ($2.6 billion) than to tobacco smoking ($2.0 billion). While B.C. has lower prevalence rates of the risk factors than any other Canadian province, there is significant variation within the province. If each region in the province were to achieve the best prevalence rates for the three risk factors, then $1.4 billion (24% of the $5.6 billion) in economic burden could be avoided annually. Conclusion There are notable disparities in the prevalence of each risk factor across health regions within B.C., which were mirrored in each region’s attributable economic burden. A variety of social, environmental and economic factors likely drive some of this geographical variation and these underlying factors should be considered when developing prevention programs.


2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank W. Booth ◽  
Simon J. Lees

Currently our society is faced with the challenge of understanding the biological basis for the epidemics of obesity and many chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes. Physical inactivity increases the relative risk of coronary artery disease by 45%, stroke by 60%, hypertension by 30%, and osteoporosis by 59%. Moreover, physical inactivity is cited as an actual cause of chronic disease by the US Centers of Disease Control. Physical activity was obligatory for survival for the Homo genus for hundreds of thousands of years. This review will present evidence that suggests that metabolic pathways selected during the evolution of the human genome are inevitably linked to physical activity. Furthermore, as with many other environmental interactions, cycles of physical activity and inactivity interact with genes resulting in a functional outcome appropriate for the environment. However, as humans are less physically active, there is a maladaptive response that leads to metabolic dysfunction and many chronic diseases. How and why these interactions occur are fundamental questions in biology. Finally, a perspective to future research in physical inactivity-gene interaction is presented. This information is necessary to provide the molecular evidence required to further promote the primary prevention of chronic diseases through physical activity, identify those molecules that will allow early disease detection, and provide society with the molecular information needed to counter the current strategy of adding physical inactivity into our lives.


2002 ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
E. Kunst Anton ◽  
M. A. Joung Inez ◽  
J. Nusselder Wilma ◽  
W. N. Looman Caspar ◽  
P. Mackenbach Johan

Objective: This paper assesses whether the future rise in educational levels of theelderly may not only increase life expectancy (LE) but also at the same timecontribute to a reduction in life expectancy with disability (LED).Methods: For each educational level, LE and LED were estimated from multi-statelife tables with a disabled and non-disabled state. Basic transition rates wereestimated from regression analysis of data of a Dutch longitudinal study. The resultsper educational level were aggregated to the total population for the years 1995,2005 and 2015.Results: In 1995, men in the highest educational level had a 0.9 years longerLE and a 5.4 years shorter LED than men in the lowest level. Differences amongwomen were larger (2.0 and 8.3 years). Due to rising educational levels between1995 and 2015, LE for the total male population would increase by 0.2 years whileLED would decrease by 0.5 years. A larger effect was observed for women(0.2 and 1.5 years).Conclusion: Rising educational levels of the elderly are likely to contribute to acompression of morbidity over the next decades, especially among women.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 241 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Krueger ◽  
E.N. Andres ◽  
J.M. Koot ◽  
B.D. Reilly

ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to calculate the proportion of cancers in Canada attributable to tobacco smoking (ts), alcohol use (au), excess weight (ew), and physical inactivity (pia); to explore variation in the proportions of those risk factors (rfs) over time by sex and province; to estimate the economic burden of cancer attributable to the 4 rfs; and to calculate the potential reduction in cancers and economic burden if all provinces achieved rf prevalence rates equivalent to the best in Canada.Methods We used a previously developed approach based on population-attributable fractions (pafs) to estimate the cancer-related economic burden associated with the four rfs. Sex-specific relative risk and age- and sex-specific prevalence data were used in the modelling. The economic burden was adjusted for potential double counting of cases and costs.Results In Canada, 27.7% of incident cancer cases [95% confidence interval (ci): 22.6% to 32.9%] in 2013 [47,000 of 170,000 (95% ci:38,400–55,900)] were attributable to the four rfs: ts, 15.2% (95% ci: 13.7% to 16.9%); ew, 5.1% (95% ci: 3.8% to 6.4%); au, 3.9% (95% ci: 2.4% to 5.3%); and pia, 3.5% (95% ci: 2.7% to 4.3%). The annual economic burden attributable to the 47,000 total cancers was $9.6 billion (95% ci: $7.8 billion to $11.3 billion): consisting of $1.7 billion in direct and $8.0 billion in indirect costs. Applying the lowest rf rates to each province would result in an annual reduction of 6204 cancers (13.2% of the potentially avoidable cancers) and a reduction in economic burden of $1.2 billion.Conclusions Despite substantial reductions in the prevalence and intensity of ts, ts remains the dominant risk factor from the perspective of cancer prevention in Canada, although ew and au are becoming increasingly important rfs. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 934-937
Author(s):  
Tasneem M. Lakkadsha ◽  
Kiran Kumar ◽  
Waqar M. Naqvi ◽  
Pratik Phansopkar

In January 2020, we met with COVID-19 (aka SARS-Co-V-2 and/or Corona virus) on our news channels all the way from china. Little did we know that it would shake up our lives in such a manner that we had heard only in a movie or read in history books. Currently we are all in some sort of lockdown, be it in hospital/home or in our minds. Being there, most of us are facing certain kind of misery, be it emotional, mental, physical or social. To be expansive the most common stresses that have been addressed by people on mass media platform are feeling of depression and isolation caused by being away from family and friends, some are complaining of losing their enthusiasm, some of gaining weight, some of losing it and many more. Going through a pandemic is also helping people in some or the other way, one of which is being concerned about their health and habits to keep themselves fit and away from serious comorbidities which can stem out from physical inactivity and heightened stress levels. There are many ways to stay fit at home without any complex gym equipment, but far less is known about it. Thus, an understanding of methods through which one can become physically active with least complexity, easy availability, and appropriate utilization is need of the hour.


2011 ◽  
Vol 174 (5) ◽  
pp. 582-590 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Olsen ◽  
N. Pandeya ◽  
A. C. Green ◽  
P. M. Webb ◽  
D. C. Whiteman ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wyllians Vendramini Borelli ◽  
Vanessa Bielefeldt Leotti ◽  
Matheus Zschornack Strelow ◽  
Márcia Lorena Fagundes Chaves ◽  
Raphael Machado Castilhos

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (50) ◽  
pp. e2107621118
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Lieberman ◽  
Timothy M. Kistner ◽  
Daniel Richard ◽  
I-Min Lee ◽  
Aaron L. Baggish

The proximate mechanisms by which physical activity (PA) slows senescence and decreases morbidity and mortality have been extensively documented. However, we lack an ultimate, evolutionary explanation for why lifelong PA, particularly during middle and older age, promotes health. As the growing worldwide epidemic of physical inactivity accelerates the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases among aging populations, integrating evolutionary and biomedical perspectives can foster new insights into how and why lifelong PA helps preserve health and extend lifespans. Building on previous life-history research, we assess the evidence that humans were selected not just to live several decades after they cease reproducing but also to be moderately physically active during those postreproductive years. We next review the longstanding hypothesis that PA promotes health by allocating energy away from potentially harmful overinvestments in fat storage and reproductive tissues and propose the novel hypothesis that PA also stimulates energy allocation toward repair and maintenance processes. We hypothesize that selection in humans for lifelong PA, including during postreproductive years to provision offspring, promoted selection for both energy allocation pathways which synergistically slow senescence and reduce vulnerability to many forms of chronic diseases. As a result, extended human healthspans and lifespans are both a cause and an effect of habitual PA, helping explain why lack of lifelong PA in humans can increase disease risk and reduce longevity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuejen Zhao ◽  
Jo Wright ◽  
Stephen Begg ◽  
Steven Guthridge

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