Takeaway
- Spending >3.5 hours/day outdoors was associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke compared with spending <1.5 hours/day outdoors.
Why this matters
- Findings emphasise the importance of considering the potential harmful effects of the urban environment on cardiovascular health.
- Further studies are warranted to determine the role of pollution in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Study design
- This longitudinal analysis included 431,146 middle- and old-aged participants (age, 40-69 years) from the UK Biobank who were followed for a median time of 7 years.
- Time spent outdoors was self-reported and participants were categorised into 4 groups based on how much time they spent outdoors:
- reference group (<1.5 hours/day);
- group 2 (1.5-2.4 hours/day);
- group 3 (2.5-3.5 hours/day); and
- group 4 (>3.5 hours/day).
- Funding: None disclosed.
Key results
- During the median follow-up of 7 years, 4724 (1.10%) MI and 2809 (0.65%) stroke incident events were reported.
- Spending >3.5 vs <1.5 hours/day outdoors was associated with an increased risk of (adjusted HR [aHR]; 95% CI):
- MI (1.20; 1.06-1.36); and
- stoke (1.14; 0.97-1.34).
- The risk of MI was stronger in men (aHR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.09-1.47) than in women (aHR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.84-1.35).
- The risk of stroke was higher in both men (aHR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.94-1.47) and women (aHR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.87-1.43).
Limitations
- Data on time spent outdoors and lifestyle factors were self-reported.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.