PLoS One. 2026 Feb 23;21(2):e0342429. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0342429. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The impact of changes in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is not well-documented, especially when considering occupational physical activity (OPA). This study examines the effects of LTPA changes in workers with varying physical activity demands.
METHODS: Part of the OPERA study, we tracked morbidities for over 20 years (P1, from 1993 to 2014) and mortality for over 8 years (P2, from 2014 to 2021-2022) with 599 participants. They were categorized into four LTPA groups ("sedentary," "started," "quit," "active") and two OPA groups ("office workers" and "occupationally physically active").
RESULTS: Maintaining regular LTPA was associated with lower incidence of hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (p-values 0.007, < 0.001 and <0.001 respectively). Non-fatal cardiovascular disease (CVD) events were more common (p = 0.006, HR 1.99, CI95% 1.22-3.26) in the "quit" group during P1, especially among "occupationally physically active" (p < 0.001, HR 2.29, CI95% 1.23-4.29). During P2, fatal CVD events were associated with being in the "sedentary" group (p = 0.042, HR 2.67, CI95% 1.04-7.03). This association was particularly evident among "office workers," where belonging to the "sedentary" and "quit" groups was associated with a higher risk of fatal CVD events (p = 0.017, HR 5.45, CI95%1.36-21.91, and p = 0.025, HR 4.55, CI95% 1.21-17.19, respectively). Furthermore, total mortality was associated with being in the "sedentary" or "quit" groups (p = 0.029, HR 3.69, CI95% 1.14-11.93, and p = 0.009, HR 4.61, CI95%1.47-14.49, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Stopping LTPA in middle age was associated to higher risk for non-fatal CVD events in "occupationally physically active" individuals. Fatal CVD events were associated with a sedentary lifestyle in whole study population. Among "office workers," both a sedentary lifestyle and stopping regular LTPA were associated with higher risks of fatal CVD events and all-cause mortality.
PMID:41729916 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0342429