The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Disease

Harvard Alumni Studies
The Harvard Alumni studies were conducted to show the correlation between caloric expenditure and mortality rates due to heart disease and/or heart attack. 17,000 Harvard Alumni were given a questionnaire for information on health and physical activity. Physical activity included various sports, stair climbing, and walking. The study found that those “who consistently exercised during their lifetimes had lower heart attack and mortality rates than their sedentary classmates.” The study showed that as caloric expenditure through various activities increased, mortality rates decreased. “The highest heart disease and mortality rates were found in alumni who expended fewer than 500 kilocalories per week.” The same study also showed that mortality rates and heart disease dropped with caloric expenditure at about 2,000 kilocalories. In another study, college athletes who did not remain physically active after college were shown to have the highest risk for heart disease.
The Harvard Alumni studies concluded that physical activity is “a major determinant of public health.” Public health researchers determined that eliminating physical inactivity reduced the prevalence of risk factors for what is called community-attributable risk- an estimate of the potential reduction of heart attacks in the population if the risk factors were not present. “The higher the prevalence, the greater the potential improvement in public health if the risk factor was eliminated.” This meant that if the Harvard Alumni remained physically active, the heart attack rate would have been about 25%. Physical activity showed to have the greatest effect on mortality rates from heart disease than any other risk factor. The study also concluded that those that stayed physically active extended life expectancy to about 2.5 years longer than their sedentary classmates.

Adam Eckart
B.A. Physical Ed./Adult Fitness
USAW


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