Wearable device-based health equivalence of different physical activity intensities against mortality, cardiometabolic disease, and cancer

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Biswas, Raaj Kishore, Ahmadi, Matthew N., Bauman, Adrian, Milton, Karen, Koemel, Nicholas A. and Stamatakis, Emmanuel (2025) Wearable device-based health equivalence of different physical activity intensities against mortality, cardiometabolic disease, and cancer. Nature Communications, 16. ISSN 2041-1723

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Abstract

Current conventions, partly derived from self-reported data, typically equate 1 minute of vigorous physical activity (VPA) to 2 minutes of moderate physical activity (MPA). Using accelerometer-derived intensity classification in 73,485 UK Biobank participants (mean follow-up: 8.0 [1.0] years), we assess the equivalence of light activity (LPA) and MPA to 1 minute of VPA for all-cause (ACM) and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), type 2 diabetes, and cancer outcomes. For a standardised 5%–35% risk reduction, the median MPA equivalent per minute of VPA is 4.1 (ACM, 95% CI: 4.1–4.2), 7.8 (CVD mortality, 7.7-8.0), 5.4 (MACE, 5.3–5.5), 9.4 (type 2 diabetes, 9.3-9.6), and 3.5 (cancer mortality, 3.4-3.5) minutes. For non-cancer outcomes, the median LPA equivalent per 1 minute of VPA ranges from 53 (ACM) to 94 minutes (type 2 diabetes), reflecting generally weaker dose-response curves of LPA with all outcomes. These findings indicate a substantial departure from self-reported estimates and support integrating device-based equivalence into guidelines and wearables.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Data availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the UK Biobank, but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. The UK Biobank data that support the findings of this study can be accessed by researchers on application (https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/register-apply/). Source data are provided with this paper. Code availability: The statistical code used in the analyses of this manuscript is available upon reasonable request. Funding information: This study is funded by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (APP 1194510).
Uncontrolled Keywords: sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 13 Oct 2025 10:34
Last Modified: 27 Oct 2025 09:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100704
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63475-2

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