Leisure-Time Activity Lowers Hip Fracture Risk

Increasing levels of leisure-time activity reduces the risk of hip fractures in postmenopausal women, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers analyzed data from 12 years of follow-up in the Nurses? Health Study, which involved 61,200 postmenopausal women aged 40 to 77 years (98% Caucasian) who were healthy at baseline.

After controlling for other potentially confounding factors, the risk of hip fracture was reduced by 6% for each increase of 3 metabolic equivalent task (MET) hours per week of activity, which is equivalent to walking for 1 hour at an average pace.

Women with at least 24 MET hours per week had a 55% lower risk of hip fracture, compared with women with less than 3 MET hours per week.