Cross-country skiing is associated with lower all-cause mortality: A population-based follow-up study

OBJECTIVES: The prospective relationship between leisure time cross-country skiing and any fatal events is uncertain. We aimed to assess the associations of leisure time cross-country skiing habits with the risk of all-cause mortality in a general population.

METHODS: A 12-month physical activity questionnaire was used at baseline to assess the frequency, average duration, and intensity of cross-country skiing in a prospective population-based cohort of 2,087 middle-aged men from Eastern Finland. Hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals) were calculated for all-cause mortality.

RESULTS: During a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 26.1 (18.7-28.0) years, 1,028 all-cause mortality outcomes were recorded. In analyses adjusted for several established risk factors and other potential confounders, when compared to men who did not do any cross-country skiing, the HRs (95% CIs) of all-cause mortality were 0.84 (0.73 to 0.97) and 0.80 (0.67 to 0.96) for men who did 1-200 and > 200 MET hours per year of cross-country skiing, respectively. Similarly, compared to men who did not do any cross-country skiing, the corresponding adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality were 0.84 (0.72 to 0.97) and 0.82 (0.69 to 0.97) for men who did 1-60 mins per week and > 60 mins week of cross-country skiing respectively. The associations were similar across several subgroups, except for evidence of effect modification by body mass index and history of diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS: Total volume as well as duration of leisure time cross-country skiing are each inversely and independently associated with all-cause mortality in a middle-aged Caucasian male population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.