A Prospective Study of Physical Activity Intensity and Change in Adiposity in Middle-Aged Women:

Abstract Purpose To determine the extent to which objectively measured intensity of physical activity (PA) predicts change in body fat (BF%) in women. Design Prospective cohort study of PA intensity and body composition in middle-aged women. Setting The study took place in a metropolitan Mountain West community. Subjects Two hundred and twenty-eight women participated in two assessment periods separated by 20 months. Measures Each assessment period consisted of seven consecutive days of monitoring, followed by body composition testing. Analysis The general linear model using partial correlations and Mantel-Haenszel χ2 tests were performed. Results At baseline and follow-up, women who participated in vigorous PA were leaner than women who participated in moderate or light PA (p < .05). Longitudinal results indicated that a greater proportion of women who decreased PA intensity over the 20 months also increased BF% (66%), compared to participants who increased or maintained PA intensity (47%) (p < .05). Con...