Muscle-strengthening physical activity is associated with cancer mortality: results from the 1998-2011 National Health Interview Surveys, National Death Index record linkage

Mohamamd Siahpush; Paraskevi A Farazi; Hongmei Wang; Regina E Robbins; Gopal K Singh; Dejun Su

doi:10.1007/s10552-019-01169-z

Muscle-strengthening physical activity is associated with cancer mortality: results from the 1998-2011 National Health Interview Surveys, National Death Index record linkage

Cancer Causes Control. 2019 Jun;30(6):663-670. doi: 10.1007/s10552-019-01169-z. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Authors

Mohamamd Siahpush¹, Paraskevi A Farazi², Hongmei Wang³, Regina E Robbins⁴, Gopal K Singh⁵, Dejun Su⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Promotion, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984340 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-4340, USA. msiahpush@unmc.edu.
² Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984395 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA.
³ Department of Health Services Research and Administration, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984395 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA.
⁴ Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182-0213, USA.
⁵ Office of Health Equity, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Rockville, MD, 20857, USA.
⁶ Department of Health Promotion, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984340 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198-4340, USA.

PMID: 31004232
DOI: 10.1007/s10552-019-01169-z

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the association of muscle-strengthening activities (MSA) and cancer mortality.

Methods: We pooled data from the 1998 to 2009 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which were linked to records in the National Death Index. Mortality follow-up was through 31 December 2011. Based on U.S. federal guidelines for physical activity, we dichotomized MSA and compared those who performed MSA twice a week or more to others with lower MSA. We also examined dose-response relationship of MSA frequency with cancer mortality. Hazard ratios (HR) from Cox regression were computed to estimate the association of MSA with the risk of cancer mortality. Mean follow-up was 7.9 years and the analysis sample size was 310,282.

Results: Covariate-adjusted results showed that meeting the MSA guideline was associated with a 19% lower risk of cancer mortality (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73, 0.90). We found no evidence of a dose-response relationship between the frequency of performing MSA and cancer mortality.

Conclusion: Adhering to the U.S. federal guideline for MSA is associated with lower cancer mortality. Public health programs and policy for cancer prevention and control should promote MSA to further reduce cancer mortality.

Keywords: Cancer mortality; Guidelines for physical activity; Muscle-strengthening physical activity; National Health Interview Survey.

MeSH terms

Adult
Exercise / physiology*
Exercise Therapy / methods*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasms / epidemiology*
Nutrition Surveys
Risk
United States