Physical activity and risk of coronary heart disease in a survey of adults in Kilkenny, Ireland

A questionnaire survey was carried out to estimate activity levels in a sample of 784 men and women aged 35 to 64 years in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Men were more likely to have sedentary, heavy or very heavy work activity while the majority of women had moderate activity during an average day. Only a small minority of respondents walked or cycled to work. 44% of those surveyed had leisure pursuits which were sedentary. At leisure, a higher proportion of men were involved in active sports or other vigorous activities for at least three hours per week. Men also spent longer each day walking, cycling or jogging. 16.5% of those surveyed engaged in vigorous activities for at least 20 minutes on one to three occasions weekly while 5.1% did so on four or more occasions. Younger people were more likely to take such exercise while older people were more likely to take less vigorous exercise. Path analysis using multiple regression techniques found that an increase in activity levels in this population could lead to substantial reductions in blood pressure, some of which would be mediated through changes in body weight.