

Among smokers, loneliness was negatively associated with successful smoking cessation over the follow-up (RR = 0.31 0.11–0.90). Loneliness was not associated with health behaviors or body mass index in adjusted models. They were less likely to be consistently overweight or obese (RR = 0.86 0.77–0.97) and more likely to smoke at any time point (RR = 1.46 1.17–1.82). Socially isolated participants were less likely than non-isolated participants to consistently report weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (RR = 0.86 0.77–0.97) or five daily fruit and vegetable servings (RR = 0.81 0.63–1.04). Models were population weighted and adjusted for sociodemographic factors, health indicators, and depressive symptoms, with mutual adjustment for social isolation and loneliness. Modified Poisson regression was specified to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals for the associations between baseline social isolation, baseline loneliness, and consistent weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, consistent five daily fruit and vegetable servings, daily alcohol drinking at any time point, smoking at any time point, and a consistently overweight/obese body mass index over the follow-up (all yes vs. To examine the associations between baseline social isolation, baseline loneliness, and engagement in health behaviors over 10 years among older adults.ĭata were from 3,392 men and women aged ≥52 years in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2004/2005 to 2014/2015. The prospective associations between social isolation, loneliness, and health behaviors are uncertain, despite the potential importance of these relationships over time for outcomes including mortality.

CONCLUSIONS: Older adults gain health benefits from participating in regular "non-exercise" physical activity, although the greatest benefits are observed for more vigorous activity. Time-varying models produced stronger, more robust estimates than models using a single measurement of physical activity at baseline. However, participating in mild ("non-exercise")-intensity physical activity was also associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio =0.76, 95% CI=0.69, 0.83) cardiovascular mortality (HR=0.74, 95% CI=0.64, 0.85) and death by other causes (HR=0.67, 95% CI=0.58, 0.78). In models adjusted for comorbidities, psychosocial factors, smoking, and obesity, there was a dose-response association between time-varying physical activity and mortality, with the greatest survival benefit in vigorously active participants. RESULTS: Over an average follow-up of 7.8 years (median follow-up, 8.5 years), there were 1,896 deaths.

Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the risk of death according to time-varying estimates of physical activity. Participant data were linked with death records from the National Health Service registries from 2002 to 2011. METHODS: Participants (N=10,426) were drawn from The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a representative sample of men and women aged ≥50 years living in England. PURPOSE: To examine dose-response associations between physical activity and survival using time-varying analysis to understand the importance of "non-exercise" activity for survival in older adults. The health benefits of this type of activity pattern remain unclear. The activity patterns of older adults include more light/mild-intensity or "non-exercise" activity and less moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity.
