Table 3

Association of occupational (left panels) and leisure-time physical activity (right panels) with all-cause mortality in men

Occupational physical activityLeisure-time physical activity
Model 1*nNHR (95% CI)nNHR (95% CI)
 Sedentary122 419201.00 (reference)64 306191.00 (reference)
 Low84 029181.12 (1.07 to 1.17)131 670190.81 (0.77 to 0.85)
 Moderate65 449201.21 (1.13 to 1.30)86 317190.66 (0.55 to 0.79)
 High38 514181.36 (1.22 to 1.51)27 938170.53 (0.36 to 0.79)
Model 2†
 Sedentary119 487191.00 (reference)63 534191.00 (reference)
 Low83 441181.08 (1.05 to 1.10)128 470190.87 (0.83 to 0.91)
 Moderate64 841191.17 (1.15 to 1.20)85 677190.77 (0.71 to 0.84)
 High38 317181.23 (1.15 to 1.31)27 546170.77 (0.70 to 0.85)
Model 3‡
 Sedentary116 316181.00 (reference)61 375181.00 (reference)
 Low79 957171.01 (0.99 to 1.03)126 414180.87 (0.83 to 0.92)
 Moderate62 564181.05 (1.01 to 1.10)83 892180.79 (0.73 to 0.86)
 High37 297171.12 (1.03 to 1.23)26 538160.79 (0.72 to 0.86)
  • Physical activity levels (during work and at leisure time) reflect the physical activity continuum, ie, sedentary, low, moderate and high. For occupational physical activity, categories roughly indicate: mainly sitting work (sedentary), work that mainly involves standing or walking, but without lifting or carrying loads (low), work that involves carrying light objects or walking stairs (moderate), physically demanding work involving frequent carrying or lifting heavy loads (high). For leisure-time physical activity, these categories roughly indicate: almost no regular physical activity, spending most leisure time sitting (sedentary), occasionally engaging in leisure time activities such as slow walking or household activities (low), engaging in activities such as intense household activities or brisk walking (moderate), regular engagement in activities such as jogging or cycling (high).

  • Note that the number of studies (N) differs across comparisons, as not all occupational and leisure-time physical activity categories were available from all studies (see online supplemental appendix 2 for an overview).

  • *Model 1: Unadjusted model.

  • †Model 2: Adjusted for the other domain of physical activity, body mass index, age and smoking.

  • ‡Model 3: Additionally adjusted for education level.

  • N, number of studies; n, number of participants.