Participants wore a research-grade accelerometer for up to seven days to get precise measurements of the amount of time they spent moving and, importantly, common types of daily life behaviors. variables that lead to movement and were not often included in previous studies of light and moderate-intensity physical activity.
Previous studies have often focused on the intensity and duration of activities like running and brisk walking, while the current study measures smaller movements of varying intensities during activities like cooking.
In this study, 616 women were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, 268 had coronary heart disease, 253 had a stroke, and 331 died of cardiovascular disease.
“Much of the motor activity of older adults is associated with tasks of daily living, but it may not be considered physical activity. Understanding the benefits of being active in everyday life and adding this to physical activity guidelines can encourage more movement,” said senior author Andrea LaCroix, PhD, MPH, Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Epidemiology at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health.
Source: | This article first appeared on Express.co.uk
