Benefits of exercise for common causes of morbidity and death in womena
| CONDITION | INTERVENTION | END POINT | COMPARATOR GROUP | EFFECT SIZE (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVD | 7.5–14.9 MET hr/wk LTPA7 | All-cause mortality | No LTPA | HR 0.68 (0.66–0.69) |
| 150 min/wk MVPA8 | CHD incidence | No LTPA | RR 0.86 (0.77–0.96) | |
| Stroke | High PA3 | Stroke incidence | Low level PA | RR 0.76 (0.64–0.89) |
| HTN | High PA4 | HTN incidence | Low level PA | RR 0.81 (0.76–0.85) |
| Moderate PA4 | HTN incidence | Low level PA | RR 0.89 (0.85–0.94) | |
| Any exercise (exercise in general)14 | SBP reduction | Control | −8.96 mm Hg (−10.27 to −7.64) | |
| Diabetes | 150 min/week MVPA5 | Type 2 DM incidence | Inactivity | RR 0.74 (0.69–0.80) |
| Supervised aerobic exercise9 | HbA1c reduction | No exercise | −0.30 (−0.60 to −0.45) | |
| Supervised resistance exercise9 | HbA1c reduction | No exercise | −0.30 (−0.38 to −0.15) | |
| Combined exercise9 | HbA1c reduction | No exercise | −0.53 (−0.68 to −0.45) | |
| Breast cancer | High-level MVPA10 | Breast cancer incidence | Low level PA | HR 0.90 (0.87–0.93) |
| Cancerb | Supervised exercise11 | Health-related QOL | Control | SMD 0.48 (0.16–0.81) |
| Cognitive decline | Physical activity15 | Alzheimer disease incidence | Inactivity | RR 0.61 (0.52–0.73) |
| Moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise16 | Global cognition | Control | SMD 0.60 (0.21–0.98) | |
| COPD | Pulmonary rehabilitation17 | Dyspnea | Usual care | MD 0.79 (0.56–1.03) |
| Depression | Moderate to high intensity combined exercise18 | Depression severityc | Control | SMD −0.34 (−0.52 to −0.17) |
| Hip OA | Land-based exercise12 | Pain (3–6 mo) | No exercise | SMD −0.38 (−0.58 to −0.18) |
| Land-based exercise12 | Physical function | No exercise | SMD −0.37 (−0.57 to −0.16) | |
| Knee OA | Land-based exercise13 | Pain | No exercise | SMD −0.49 (−0.39 to −0.59) |
| Land-based exercise13 | Physical function | No exercise | SMD −0.52 (−0.39 to −0.64) | |
| Falls | Exercise19 | Number of fallers | Control | RR 0.85 (0.81–0.89) |
| Exercise19 | Falls | Control | RaR 0.77 (0.71–0.83) | |
| Osteoporosis | Combined exercise21 | Lumbar spine bone density | Usual care | SMD 0.349 (0.064–0.634) |
| Exercise20 | Overall fracture | No exercise | RR 0.49 (0.31–0.76) |
↵a Most studies cited here included both men and women.
↵b Breast, colorectal, head and neck, lymphoma, others.
↵c Severity determined by self-report on depression scales.
CHD = congestive heart disease; COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CVD = cardiovascular disease; DM = diabetes mellitus; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; HR = hazard ratio; HTN = hypertension; LTPA = leisure-time physical activity; MD = mean difference; MET = metabolic equivalent of task; MVPA = moderate to vigorous physical activity; OA = osteoarthritis; PA = physical activity; QOL = quality of life; RaR = rate ratio; RR = relative risk; SBP = systolic blood pressure; SMD = standard mean difference