Maintaining Activity: An Epidemiological Perspective

838 There are few epidemiological investigations examining patterns of physical activity adoption and maintenance over time. In order to develop a better understanding of the process of adoption and maintenance, we examined physical activity and treadmill time in 5,933 men (n=4,827) and women (n=1,106) who had 6 clinic visits between 1979 and 1996. Men and women were classified as either Active (self-report of some physical activity) or Sedentary (self-report of no physical activity) at each clinic visit. The average length of time between each clinic visit was approximately 1 year. If men were active at the first visit, 26% would remain active at all 5 follow-up visits and 7% of men would become sedentary. If women were active at the first visit, 13% would remain active at all 5 follow-up visits and 2% would become sedentary. On the other hand, if men were sedentary at the first clinic visit, 9% would become active at all 5 follow-up visits and 27% would remain sedentary. If women were sedentary at the first clinic visit, 49% would remain sedentary at all 5 follow-up visits and only 5% of initially sedentary women would become active. These data indicate that a higher percentage of men are able to maintain their physical activity over time compared with women. These data highlight the need for a greater understanding of the different factors that predict adoption and maintenance of physical activity and the factors that predict sedentary behavior over the long term. Supported by grant NIA AG 06945