Physical Activity and Hip Fracture in Elderly People: A Cohort Study in Korea

Youn, Kyung Eun; Lee, Seung Mi; Kim, Yooni; Park, Byung Joo

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between physical activity and the risk of hip fracture in the elderly Korean people.
METHODS
The study population was a Physical Activity Subcohort (n=8,908) extracted from the Korean Elderly Pharmacoepidemiological Cohort (KEPEC). Physical activity information was obtained from a mailed questionnaire surveys. The outcome data was collected from claims data gathered between Jan. 1993 and Dec. 1998. A hospital survey relating to potential cases was conducted to confirm the final diagnoses. The abstracted data was reviewed by a medical doctor before the final diagnoses were confirmed. A mailing questionnaire survey was performed to obtain information on potentially confounding variables, including alcohol intake, smoking habits, weight, height and postmenopausal duration. There were 79 confirmed cases hospitalized due to hip fractures between Jan. 1993 and Dec. 1998. Relative risk of physical activity scores on the hip fracture, and their 95% confidence intervals, were estimated by a Cox's proportional hazard model using SAS for Windows ver. 6.12. RESUJLTS: Compared to the reference group, the adjusted relative risk of hip fracture associated with the most physical active category; after controlling for age, weight and alcohol intake in the males, and for weight, alcohol intake and postmenopausal duration in the females, were 1.04 (95% CI=0.35-3.06) and 0.44 (95% CI=0.26-0.77), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Physical activity may protect elderly women from hip fracture.