Physical activity level and ischemic heart disease prevalence among individuals aged 45 years and older with normal weight, BRFSS, 2007.

BACKGROUND Most ischemic heart disease (IHD) prevention programs that promote physical activity (PA) have focused on overweight/obese populations. Persons with normal body mass index (BMI) may mistakenly think that they are not at risk for IHD and remain physically inactive. Studies exploring the risk of IHD and PA level among adults aged 45 years and older with normal weight are limited. METHODS Cross-sectional study to examine the prevalence of IHD and PA level among 94455 respondents aged 45 years and older with normal BMI using the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. RESULTS Approximately 50% of respondents reported low/inactive PA. The prevalence of IHD among persons with inactive, low, medium, and high PA was 16.6% (95% CI=15.1-18.1%), 9.6% (8.9-10.3%), 8.9% (8.3-9.6%), and 5.4% (4.9-5.9%). The adjusted odds ratios of IHD among persons with low, medium, and high PA compared with those with inactive PA was 0.68 (95% CI=0.59-0.79), 0.63 (0.54-0.73), and 0.49 (0.42-0.57). CONCLUSIONS The percentage of respondents with low or inactive PA among populations aged 45 years and older with BMI 18 to <25 was alarmingly high and independently associated with higher IHD prevalence. Persons who are not overweight/obese still need to have adequate PA to reduce the risk of IHD.