Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Mass Index and All-Cause Mortality in Women, ACLS 1970-1994

Braun, LeeAnn, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Mass Index and All-Cause Mortality in Women, Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, 1970-1994. Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), December, 1999, 44 p.p., 9 tables, references, 24 titles. Cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index are related to morbidity and mortality (Manson, 1996). There is a preponderance of evidence supporting this relation in men (Gibbons, 1983; Blair, 1989, 1995, 1996; Lee, I, 1993; Barlow, 1995; Kampert, 1996; Dorn, 1997; Lee, C, 1999). The evaluation of the stated risk factors have been virtually unexplored in a cohort of women. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether higher levels of cardiorespiratory fitness attenuate the risk of all-cause mortality in overweight and obese women. In this prospective study, the study population consisted of 7572 women ages 20-89 years, who had a medical examination and achieved at least 85% of their age-adjusted maximal heart rate during a maximal treadmill test were followed for 69,979 woman-years. After adjustment for age, exam year, health status and smoking status, unfit women had a higher risk for all-cause mortality across BMI categories [RR 1.70 95% CI (1.18, 2.43)]. The benefits of cardiorespiratory fitness significantly decrease the risk of all-cause mortality in women as the concurrent consideration of cardiorespiratory fitness.