A high level of household physical activity compensates for lack of leisure time physical activity with regard to deficit accumulation: Results from the KORA-Age study

• A deficit accumulation (DA) index was constructed for the KORA-Age study.
• Associations of two physical activity (PA) types with DA in older age were studied.
• Higher household and leisure time PA were significantly associated with less DA.
• Participants with high as compared to low household PA had 29% less deficits.
• Higher levels of household PA may compensate for lower levels of leisure time PA.

IntroductionAging is associated with increasing loss of physiological resilience and successive accumulation of physiological deficits. This can be measured through a frailty index which sums up symptoms, health conditions and impairments. One possible factor in preventing or delaying deficit accumulation is physical activity. The effect of leisure time physical activity on health is well investigated; however, the effect of household physical activity is less clear. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association of household physical activity with deficit accumulation while controlling for level of leisure time physical activity.MethodsData originates from the 2008 baseline assessment of the KORA (Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg)-Age study from Southern Germany. A frailty index of deficit accumulation (Deficit Accumulation Index, DAI) was constructed from 31 age-related health deficits. Physical activity was measured with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). The association of deficit accumulation and physical activity was analyzed using negative binomial regression analysis.ResultsThe participants' (n = 960, mean age 76 years, 49.0% female) DAI ranged from 0.00 to 0.68. Higher levels of both types of physical activity were statistically significantly associated with less deficit accumulation. Participants in the highest household (leisure time) physical activity quartile had 29% (30%) less deficits than participants in the respective lowest quartiles.ConclusionHigh levels of household physical activity might compensate for low levels of leisure time physical activity in the prevention of deficit accumulation. Further research efforts investigating the temporal sequence of this association are needed.