Impact of physical activity on disability-free and disabled life expectancies in middle-aged and older adults: Data from the healthy aging longitudinal study in Taiwan

Abstract

Aim: Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) promotes healthy aging; however, data on work-related physical activity (WPA) are inconsistent. This study was conducted to examine the disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) and disabled life expectancy (DLE) across physical activity levels, with a focus on WPA, in middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: Data from 5663 community-dwelling participants aged ≥55 years and enrolled in the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan were evaluated. Energy expenditures from LTPA and WPA were calculated from baseline questionnaires and categorized into sex-specific cutoffs. Disability was based on repeat measures of participants' activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Mortality was confirmed via data linkage with the Death Certificate database. DFLE and DLE were estimated from discrete-time multistate life-table models.

Results: At age 65, women with low WPA had a DLE of 2.88 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.67-4.08), which was shorter than that of women without WPA (DLE, 5.24 years; 95% CI, 4.65-5.83) and with high WPA (DLE, 4.01 years; 95% CI, 2.69-5.34). DFLE and DLE were similar across WPA levels in men. DFLE tended to increase as the LTPA increased in men and women.

Conclusion: Women with low WPA had shorter DLE than did those with no or high WPA. To reduce the risks of disability associated with physical activity, public policy should advocate for older people to watch the type, amount, and intensity of their activities as these may go ignored during WPA. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 229-239.

Keywords: disability; life expectancy; physical activity at work.