Social and productive activities in elderly people

doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7228.184

BMJ 2000;320:184 ( 15 January )

Letters

Social and productive activities in elderly people

Activities have been confused

Activity (occupation) is important for survival

Self rated health is important predictor of mortality

Authors' reply

Activities have been confused

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Glass et al have concluded that in elderly people "social and productive activities that involve little or no enhancementof fitness lower the risk of mortality all cause as much as fitnessactivities do," and that "activity may confer survival benefitsthrough psychosocial pathways."¹ The study design, however,incorporates a misconception that pervades many studies into physicalactivity.

Neither high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness nor participation in vigorous activities that promote cardiorespiratory fitnessare necessary to decrease morbidity and mortality. The main healthrelated variable is the volume, rather than the frequency, intensity,or duration of the activity. Whether the activity is planned (asin sport), or incidental (as in gardening), is obviously immaterial.The body does not care whether the physical activity is undertakenas sport, exercise, hobbies, translocation, or householdchores.

In this study, most activities categorised as social and productive can entail significant levels of . . . [Full text of this article]

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Population based study of social and productive activities as predictors of survival among elderly Americans: Thomas A Glass, Carlos Mendes de Leon, Richard A Marottoli, and Lisa F Berkman
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