Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

There is a paucity of information on associations between specific types of physical activity and fracture risk at different sites in otherwise healthy postmenopausal women. Therefore, we examined risk of fracture at seven different sites associated with seven different types of physical activity in the population-based prospective UK Million Women Study. A total of 371,279 postmenopausal women (mean age 59.8 years), rating their health as good or excellent and reporting participation in walking, cycling, gardening, doing housework, yoga, dance, and sports club activities, were followed for site-specific incident fracture through record linkage to national databases on day-case and overnight hospital admissions. Cox regression yielded adjusted relative risks (RRs) and, because of the large number of statistical tests done, 99% confidence intervals (CIs) for fracture at seven different sites in relation to seven different physical activities. During an average follow-up of 12 years, numbers with a first site-specific fracture were as follows: humerus (2341), forearm (1238), wrist (7358), hip (4354), femur (not neck) (617), lower leg (1184), and ankle (3629). For upper limb fractures there was significant heterogeneity across the seven activity types (test for heterogeneity p = 0.004), with gardening more than 1 hour/week associated with a lower risk (RR = 0.91; 99% CI, 0.86 to 0.96; p < 0.0001), whereas cycling more than 1 hour/week was associated with an increased risk (RR = 1.11; 99% CI, 1.00 to 1.23; p = 0.008). For fractures of the lower limb (including hip) there was no significant heterogeneity by type of activity, with significant approximately 5% to 15% reductions in risk associated with most activities, except cycling. For hip fractures, there was no significant heterogeneity by type of activity, but with significant 15% to 20% reductions in risk associated with walking for 1 hour/day and participating in yoga and sporting activities. Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for fracture, but the effects differ between different types of activities and different fracture sites. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Original publication

DOI

10.1002/jbmr.3896

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Bone Miner Res

Publication Date

02/2020

Volume

35

Pages

277 - 290

Keywords

EPIDEMIOLOGY, EXERCISE, FRACTURE PREVENTION, GENERAL POPULATION STUDIES, OSTEOPOROSIS