Total Daily Physical Activity and Longevity in Old Age

To the Editor Increased levels of exercise are currently recommended to improve health and increase longevity, but gaps in our knowledge impede the formulation of evidence-based recommendations particularly in older individuals.1 In particular, most studies of physical activity in old age have focused on self-reported physical activity measures which are affected by recall bias. Moreover, few studies have examined the contribution of non-exercise physical activity to survival in old age.2–4 We tested the hypothesis that an objective measure of total daily activity, including both exercise and non-exercise physical activity, is associated with longevity in community-dwelling older persons.