Routine physical activity and mortality in Mexican Americans aged 75 and older

Objectives: To examine the association between routine physical activity and risk of 3-year mortality in Mexican Americans aged 75 and older.

Design: Longitudinal study involving a population-based survey.

Setting: Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) survey conducted in the southwestern United States (TX, CO, AZ, NM, CA).

Participants: Mexican-American men and women aged 75 and older (N = 948) participating in the H-EPESE.

Measurements: Responses to the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) were assessed in 2005-06. Mortality was determined according to report of relatives at 3-year follow-up and from the National Death Index. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics, financial strain, smoking status, body mass index, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and comorbid conditions.

Results: The mean age of the sample was 82.2 ± 4.5. Cox proportional hazard regression estimated that the hazard ratios of death for persons in the low, moderate, and high quartiles of physical activity (PASE scale) ranged from 0.36 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.21-0.62) to 0.50 (95% CI = 0.31-0.82) compared to persons in the sedentary quartile after adjusting for covariates.

Conclusion: Routine physical activity involving household and leisure activities was associated with lower 3-year risk of mortality in a sample of older Mexican Americans living in the community.