Association between Different Dose-Response of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Stroke Incidence in Middle Aged and Older Adults

It is well documented that physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the role of physical activity duration in the prevention of stroke still needs further investigations. This study aimed to examine the association between leisure-time physical activity and incidence of stroke in middle aged (50-64 years) and older (65 years and over) Taiwanese. The analyses were done based on the national representative data from the Taiwan's Health and Living Status of the Elderly Survey conducted in 2003 and 2007. Subjects with previous stroke history were excluded from the study. The data from the cohort of 5,046 participants aged 50 years and above in 2003 were analyzed and followed-up for 4 years. The participants reported their frequency and duration of physical activity at baseline according to four categories of activity status: none, light, medium and high physical activity. Multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to assess the associations between dose-response of physical activity and stroke incidence. The results indicated that participants engaging in high level of physical activity had significant lower risk of stroke incidence compared with those, who reported no physical activity. A similar result was observed in older subjects aged 65 or above. In contrast, these beneficial associations were attenuated in middle aged adults. In conclusion, our study showed a tendency that high level of leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower risk of stroke. Precisely, the decreased risk of stroke incidence was observed among participants, who involved in 30-minute physical activity, at least three times per a week.