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We looked at 3
distinct exposures. Physical activity type was categorized from questions
asking about participation in various exercises and sports. The referent
group was those subjects who reported no recreational activity participation
(sedentary). Walkers were separated from runners and persons engaged in
various strenuous and racquet sports were grouped together in a third
"active" category. Total hours per week spent in physical activity was
categorized into duration categories (<1.25, 1.25-3.75, >3.75) based on the
moderate physical activity recommendations (30 minutes/day at least 5 times
per week). Physical fitness categories were created from age and
gender-specific quintiles of total time on treadmill in seconds. The bottom
20% of the treadmill time distribution was considered "low" fitness, the
middle 40% "moderate" and the top 40% "high". These fitness categories have
been used extensively in other health and fitness studies and correlate well
with measured oxygen consumption. |