Estimates of the burden of mortality associated to physical inactivity (PI) have not been quantified for large urban centers located in developing countries.
Objectives: To estimate the burden of mortality due to six chronic diseases (CDZ) associated to PI and the number of potentially preventable deaths associated to reductions in the prevalence of PI.
Methods: PI exposure prevalence obtained via population surveys was linked to mortality data registered during 2002 among adult (> 45 y) Bogotá residents. The strength of association between PI and disease-specific mortality was obtained from the literature. Population attributable risk (PAR) was used to calculate the CDZ mortality attributable to PI and to estimate the number of potentially preventable deaths associated to a 30 % reduction in the prevalence of PI.
Results: A 53,2 % PI exposure prevalence was associated to a PAR of 19,3 % for coronary artery disease, 24,2 % for stroke, 13,8 % for arterial hypertension, 21 % for Diabetes Mellitus, 17,9 % for colon cancer and 14,2 % for breast cancer. An estimated 7,6 % of all-cause mortality and 20,1 % of CDZ mortality could be attributed to PI. An estimated 5% of the CDZ mortality could be prevented if PI prevalence is reduced by 30 %.
Conclusion: Conservative estimates indicate that a considerable proportion of deaths due to highly prevalent CDZ could be attributed to PI. Strategies to reduce the prevalence of PI in Bogotá could lead to progressive reductions in the burden of CDZ mortality.