Associations of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Television Viewing with Life Expectancy Cancer-Free at Age 50: The ARIC Study

Background: Physical activity has been associated with longer chronic disease–free life expectancy, but specific cancer types have not been investigated. We examined whether leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (LTPA) and television (TV) viewing were associated with life expectancy cancer-free.

Methods: We included 14,508 participants without a cancer history from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. We used multistate survival models to separately examine associations of LTPA (no LTPA, <median, ≥median) and TV viewing (seldom/never, sometimes, often/very often) with life expectancy cancer-free at age 50 from invasive colorectal, lung, prostate, and postmenopausal breast cancer. Models were adjusted for age, gender, race, ARIC center, education, smoking, and alcohol intake.

Results: Compared with no LTPA, participants who engaged in LTPA ≥median had a greater life expectancy cancer-free from colorectal [men-2.2 years (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7–2.7), women-2.3 years (95% CI, 1.7–2.8)], lung [men-2.1 years (95% CI, 1.5–2.6), women-2.1 years (95% CI, 1.6–2.7)], prostate [1.5 years (95% CI, 0.8–2.2)], and postmenopausal breast cancer [2.4 years (95% CI, 1.4–3.3)]. Compared with watching TV often/very often, participants who seldom/never watched TV had a greater colorectal, lung, and postmenopausal breast cancer-free life expectancy of ∼1 year.

Conclusions: Participating in LTPA was associated with longer life expectancy cancer-free from colorectal, lung, prostate, and postmenopausal breast cancer. Viewing less TV was associated with more years lived cancer-free from colorectal, lung, and postmenopausal breast cancer.

Impact: Increasing physical activity and reducing TV viewing may extend the number of years lived cancer-free.