The contribution of physical activity to increased life expectancy

Recently, Terry Dwyer and his team reported their findings on the association of pedometer measured steps and mortality from a fifteen year follow up of these cohorts (Dwyer, T., et al. (2015). "Objectively Measured Daily Steps and Subsequent Long Term All-Cause Mortality: The Tasped Prospective Cohort Study." PloS one 10(11): e0141274). 

In a combined cohort of almost 3,000 subjects among whom 220 deaths occurred, a 40% reduction in mortality for those taking the highest number of steps compared to the lowest was observed.  This was the first evidence from a population based cohort that PA measured objectively was inversely associated with mortality.

In this talk he will review the evidence on the relationship between PA, predominantly measured by questionnaire, and major health outcomes and put into context what this new data using an objective measure of PA adds to the overall picture.  In describing how the complex puzzle of PA and health is developing he will identify what deficiencies in the evidence need to be addressed before greater certainty about the causal nature of the association can be reached.