Patterns of Physical Activity and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Pilot Study

Background: In the current study, we investigated the effect of physical activity (PA) on the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods: In total, 146 cases of CHD and 157 matched controls were included in the study. Data on sociodemographics, lifestyle, and medical history factors were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. A standard World Health Organization (WHO)-based lifestyle questionnaire was used to assess PA. The risk of CHD was analyzed in relation to PA patterns using logistic regression. Results: Vigorous-intensity leisure PA was not associated with a lower risk of CHD. Subjects in the highest tertile of moderate occupational PA had a significantly lower risk of CHD compared to the lowest tertile (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.31, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.17–0.56). Subjects in the highest tertile of walking hasd an adjusted OR of 0.37 (95% CI 0.20–0.70). Subjects in the medium and highest tertiles of sedentary behavior had adjusted ORs of 2.01 (95% CI 1.06–3.79) and 3.88 (95% CI 2.14–7.02), respectively (p-value for trend < 0.001). Conclusion: The current results showed that both moderate occupational PA and walking protected against CHD. Sedentary behavior increased the risk of CHD.