Habitual Physical Activity

Habitual exercise combined with daily walking was associated with lower risk of death and disability severe enough to require LTCI certification. The four-year cumulative incidence of the composite outcome was 5.7% in the highest-activity group and 8.1% in the no-activity group. The two self-reported questions approximate public health recommendations but cannot capture detailed intensity, duration, or total activity volume. Prior meta-analytic evidence reported hazard ratios of 0.68–0.77 for postdiagnosis physical activity reducing mortality in cancer survivors. Physical activity was measured using two self-reported yes/no questions from health check-up records. After covariate adjustment, the no-physical-activity group had an approximately 72% higher risk of the composite outcome compared to the exercise-and-walking group. Two simple health check-up questions about exercise and walking may help identify cancer survivors at higher risk of mortality and disability.