Physical Activity and its Relationship to Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Rural Japanese Men

Methods of quantifying physical activity in a population-based sample are needed to examine the relation of physical activity to cardiovascular diseases. We examined validity and reproducibility of an interviewer-administered physical activity questionnaire for men aged 40-59 years in a rural Japanese population. Validity was tested by comparing the estimate of physical activity from a 24-hour diary and maximum oxygen uptake from ergometer exercise test for forty-five men. There was no difference in the estimates of energy expenditure between the questionnaire and the 24-hour diary in each job classfication. Significant correlations were obtained between total activity estimated by the questionnaire and the 24-hour diary (r=0.66) and between the total activity and maximum oxygen uptake (r=0.30). Correlation coefficients between the test and retest at 1-2 year interval for 83 men were 0.67 for total activity, 0.62 for activity at work, 0.59 for leisure time activity and 0.24 for other activity. Using this questionnaire, energy expenditure in total physical activity was measured in 539 men aged 40-59 years living in a rural community of Akita, northeast Japan. Greater physical activity was associated with higher serum HDL-cholesterol levels, lower relative weight index. There was no significant association of physical activity with blood pressure levels, serum total cholesterol, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake. Thus, greater physical activity was not always associated with lower coronary risk factors except for HDL-cholesterol. Prospective studies will be needed to clarify the relation of physical activity with cardiovascular disease in Japanese. J Epidemiol, 1992; 2 : 97-104.