Systolic Blood Pressure and Survival to Very Old Age: Results From the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and longevity is not fully understood. We aimed to determine which SBP levels in women ≥65 years of age with or without blood pressure medication were associated with the highest probability of surviving to 90 years of age. METHODS: The study population consisted of 16 570 participants enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative who were eligible to survive to 90 years of age by February 28, 2020, without a history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer. Blood pressure was measured at baseline (1993 through 1998) and then annually through 2005. The outcome was defined as survival to 90 years of age with follow-up. Absolute probabilities of surviving to 90 years of age were estimated for all combinations of SBP and age using generalized additive logistic regression modeling. The SBP that maximized survival was estimated for each age, and a 95% CI was generated. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 19.8 years, 9723 of 16 570 women (59%) survived to 90 years of age. Women with an SBP between 110 and 130 mm Hg at attained ages of 65, 70, 75, and 80 years had a 38% (95% CI, 34%-48%), 54% (52%-56%), 66% (64%-67%), or 75% (73%-78%) absolute probability to survive to 90 years of age, respectively. The probability of surviving to 90 years of age was lower for greater SBP levels. Women at the attained age of 80 years with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, or 100% time in therapeutic range (defined as an SBP between 110 and 130 mm Hg) had a 66% (64%-69%), 68% (67%-70%), 71% (69%-72%), 73% (71%-74%), 75% (72%-77%), or 77% (74%-79%) absolute survival probability to 90 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: For women >65 years of age with low cardiovascular disease and other chronic disease risk, an SBP level <130 mm Hg was found to be associated with longevity. These findings reinforce current guidelines targeting an SBP target <130 mm Hg in older women.

Association between dietary patterns and periodontal disease: The OsteoPerio cohort study.

AIM: To examine the association of dietary patterns with periodontal disease (PD) and its progression over 5 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analyses involved 1197 post-menopausal women from the OsteoPerio cohort. Dietary patterns assessed include Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI), Alternative HEI (AHEI), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and alternate Mediterranean Diet (aMed) at baseline (the average of two food frequency questionnaires administered between 1993 and 2001). At baseline and the 5-year follow-up, periodontal assessments evaluated alveolar crestal height (ACH), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), percentage of gingival sites bleeding on probing (%BOP) and missing teeth due to PD. Linear and logistic regression were used to examine the associations. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, HEI and aMed were associated with smaller CAL and %BOP; along with DASH, they were associated with a decreased odds of teeth missing due to PD. AHEI and aMed were associated with a decreased odds of severe PD. Prospectively, AHEI was associated with greater ACH progression. This association was attenuated to the null after loss of ACH was imputed for teeth lost due to PD over follow-up, or after excluding participants with diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension or heart disease at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Better adherence to healthy dietary patterns was associated with better PD measures cross-sectionally but greater progression of ACH over 5 years. The latter might be explained by incident tooth loss due to PD and pre-existing comorbidities.

Developing and evaluating the construct validity of a dietary pattern predictive of plasma TMAO and choline.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The metabolism of choline (highly present in animal products) can produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite with atherosclerotic effects; however, dietary fiber may suppress this metabolic pathway. This study aimed to develop a dietary pattern predictive of plasma TMAO and choline concentrations using reduced rank regression (RRR) and to evaluate its construct validity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Diet and plasma concentrations of choline (µmol/L) and TMAO (µmol/L) were assessed in 1724 post-menopausal women who participated in an ancillary study within the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (1993-1998). The TMAO dietary pattern was developed using RRR in half of the sample (Training Sample) and applied to the other half of the sample (Validation Sample) to evaluate its construct validity. Energy-adjusted food groups were the predictor variables and plasma choline and TMAO, the response variables. ANCOVA and linear regression models were used to assess associations between each biomarker and the dietary pattern score. Discretionary fat, potatoes, red meat, and eggs were positively associated with the dietary pattern, while yogurt, fruits, added sugar, and starchy vegetables were inversely associated. Mean TMAO and choline concentrations significantly increased across increasing quartiles of the dietary pattern in the Training and Validation samples. Positive associations between the biomarkers and the TMAO dietary pattern were also observed in linear regression models (Validation Sample: TMAO, adjusted beta-coefficient = 0.037 (p-value = 0.0088); Choline, adjusted beta-coefficient = 0.011 (p-value = 0.0224). CONCLUSION: We established the TMAO dietary pattern, a dietary pattern reflecting the potential of the diet to contribute to plasma concentrations of TMAO and choline.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Prevention and Management of Cardiovascular Disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among adults in the U.S. and elsewhere. Variation in the presence, severity, and control of major modifiable risk factors accounts for much of the variation in CVD rates worldwide. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) reflects the integration of ventilation, circulation, and metabolism for the delivery and utilization of oxygen in support of dynamic aerobic physical activity. The gold standard measure of CRF is maximal oxygen uptake. Because the primary factor underlying differences in this measure between individuals is maximal cardiac output, it can serve as a clinical indicator of cardiac function. Higher CRF is associated with favorable levels of major CVD risk factors, lower prevalence and severity of subclinical atherosclerosis, and lower risks of developing both primary and secondary clinical CVD events. The beneficial associations between CRF and CVD are seen in women and men, older and younger adults, in those with multiple coexisting risk factors or prior diagnosis of CVD. Exercise training and regular physical activity of at least moderate intensities and volumes improves CRF in adults, and improvements in CRF are associated with lower risks of subsequent CVD and mortality. Routine assessment of CRF in primary care settings could enhance individual-level CVD risk assessment and thereby guide implementation of appropriate measures to prevent future clinical events.

Defining Porphyromonas gingivalis strains associated with periodontal disease.

Porphyromonas gingivalis, a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium commonly found in human subgingival plaque, is a major etiologic agent for periodontitis and has been associated with multiple systemic pathologies. Many P. gingivalis strains have been identified and different strains possess different virulence factors. Current oral microbiome approaches (16S or shotgun) have been unable to differentiate P. gingivalis strains. This study presents a new approach that aims to improve the accuracy of strain identification, using a detection method based on sequencing of the intergenic spacer region (ISR) which is variable between P. gingivalis strains. Our approach uses two-step PCR to amplify only the P. gingivalis ISR region. Samples are then sequenced with an Illumina sequencer and mapped to specific strains. Our approach was validated by examining subgingival plaque from 153 participants with and without periodontal disease. We identified the avirulent strain ATCC33277/381 as the most abundant strain across all sample types. The W83/W50 strain was significantly enriched in periodontitis, with 13% of participants harboring that strain. Overall, this approach can have significant implications not only for the diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease but also for other diseases where P. gingivalis or its toxins have been implicated, such as Alzheimer's disease.

Accelerometry-assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns using single- and multi-component latent class analysis among postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior among postmenopausal women are not well characterized. OBJECTIVES: To describe the patterns of accelerometer-assessed physical activity and sedentary behavior among postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Women 63-97 years (n = 6126) wore an ActiGraph GT3X + accelerometer on their hip for 1 week. Latent class analysis was used to classify women by patterns of percent of wake time in physical activity and sedentary behavior over the week. RESULTS: On average, participants spent two-thirds of their day in sedentary behavior (62.3%), 21.1% in light low, 11.0% in light high, and 5.6% in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Five classes emerged for each single-component model for sedentary behavior and light low, light high, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Six classes emerged for the multi-component model that simultaneously considered the four behaviors together. CONCLUSION: Unique profiles were identified in both single- and multi-component models that can provide new insights into habitual patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior among postmenopausal women. IMPLICATIONS: The multi-component approach can contribute to refining public health guidelines that integrate recommendations for both enhancing age-appropriate physical activity levels and reducing time spent in sedentary behavior.

Associations of Relative Intensity of Physical Activity With Incident Cardiovascular Events and All-Cause Mortality.

BACKGROUND: The relative intensity of physical activity (PA) can be estimated as the percent of one's maximal effort required. METHODS: We compared associations of relative and absolute intensity PA with incident major cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in 5 633 women from the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Study (mean age 78.5 ±â€…6.7). Absolute intensity was measured by accelerometry. Relative intensity was estimated by dividing accelerometer-estimated metabolic equivalents (METs) by maximal MET capacity. Both were aggregated into mean daily hours of light intensity PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Cox proportional hazard models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for 1-hour higher amounts of PA on outcomes. RESULTS: During follow-up (median = 7.4 years), there were 748 incident CVD events and 1 312 deaths. Greater LPA and MVPA, on either scale, were associated with reduced risk of both outcomes. HRs for a 1-hour increment of absolute LPA were 0.88 (95% CI: 0.83-0.93) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84-0.92) for incident CVD and mortality, respectively. HRs for a 1-hour increment of absolute MPVA were 0.73 (95% CI: 0.61-0.87) and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.48-0.64) for the same outcomes. HRs for a 1-hour increment of relative LPA were 0.70 (95% CI: 0.59-0.84) and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.68-0.89) for incident CVD and mortality, respectively. HRs for a 1-hour increment of relative MPVA were 0.89 (95% CI: 0.83-0.96) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.77-0.87) for the same outcomes. On the relative scale, LPA was more strongly, and inversely associated with both outcomes than relative MVPA. Absolute MVPA was more strongly inversely associated with the outcomes than relative MVPA. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the continued shift in the PA intensity paradigm toward recommendation of more movement, regardless of intensity. Relative LPA--a modifiable, more easily achieved behavioral target, particularly among ambulatory older adults--was associated with reduced risk of incident major CVD and death.

Prospective Associations of Accelerometer-Measured Machine-Learned Sedentary Behavior With Death Among Older Women: The OPACH Study.

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behavior is a recognized mortality risk factor. The novel and validated convolutional neural network hip accelerometer posture algorithm highly accurately classifies sitting and postural changes compared with accelerometer count cut points. We examined the prospective associations of convolutional neural network hip accelerometer posture-classified total sitting time and mean sitting bout duration with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) death. METHODS AND RESULTS: Women (n=5856; mean±SD age, 79±7 years; 33% Black women, 17% Hispanic or Latina women, 50% White women) in the Women's Health Initiative Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH) Study wore the ActiGraph GT3X+ for ~7 days from May 2012 to April 2014 and were followed through February 19, 2022 for all-cause and CVD death. The convolutional neural network hip accelerometer posture algorithm classified total sitting time and mean sitting bout duration from GT3X+ output. Over follow-up (median, 8.4 years; range, 0.1-9.9), there were 1733 deaths (632 from CVD). Adjusted Cox regression hazard ratios (HRs) comparing women in the highest total sitting time quartile (>696 min/d) to those in the lowest (<556.0 min/d) were 1.57 (95% CI; 1.35-1.83; P-trend<0.001) for all-cause death and 1.78 (95% CI; 1.36-2.31; P-trend<0.001) for CVD death. HRs comparing women in the longest mean sitting bout duration quartile (>15 minutes) to the shortest (<9.3 minutes) were 1.43 (95% CI; 1.23-1.66; P-trend<0.001) for all-cause death and 1.52 (95% CI; 1.18-1.96; P-trend<0.001) for CVD death. Apparent nonlinear associations for total sitting time suggested higher all-cause death (P nonlinear=0.009) and CVD death (P nonlinear=0.008) risk after ~660 to 700 min/d. CONCLUSIONS: Higher total sitting time and longer mean sitting bout duration are associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality risk among older women. These data support interventions aimed at reducing both total sitting time and interrupting prolonged sitting.

Development, validation, and transportability of several machine-learned, non-exercise-based VO2max prediction models for older adults.

BACKGROUND: There exist few maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) non-exercise-based prediction equations, fewer using machine learning (ML), and none specifically for older adults. Since direct measurement of VO2max is infeasible in large epidemiologic cohort studies, we sought to develop, validate, compare, and assess the transportability of several ML VO2max prediction algorithms. METHODS: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) participants with valid VO2max tests were included (n = 1080). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, linear- and tree-boosted extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms were trained to predict VO2max values. We developed these algorithms for: (a) the overall BLSA, (b) by sex, (c) using all BLSA variables, and (d) variables common in aging cohorts. Finally, we quantified the associations between measured and predicted VO2max and mortality. RESULTS: The age was 69.0 ± 10.4 years (mean ± SD) and the measured VO2max was 21.6 ± 5.9 mL/kg/min. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, linear- and tree-boosted extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and support vector machine yielded root mean squared errors of 3.4 mL/kg/min, 3.6 mL/kg/min, 3.4 mL/kg/min, 3.6 mL/kg/min, and 3.5 mL/kg/min, respectively. Incremental quartiles of measured VO2max showed an inverse gradient in mortality risk. Predicted VO2max variables yielded similar effect estimates but were not robust to adjustment. CONCLUSION: Measured VO2max is a strong predictor of mortality. Using ML can improve the accuracy of prediction as compared to simpler approaches but estimates of association with mortality remain sensitive to adjustment. Future studies should seek to reproduce these results so that VO2max, an important vital sign, can be more broadly studied as a modifiable target for promoting functional resiliency and healthy aging.

Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, and Heart Failure Risk in Women Aged 63 to 99 Years.

Importance: Heart failure (HF) prevention is paramount to public health in the 21st century. Objective: To examine incident HF and its subtypes with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced EF (HFrEF) according to accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary time. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prospective cohort study, the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health (OPACH) in Older Women study, conducted from March 2012 to April 2014. Included in the analysis were women aged 63 to 99 years without known HF, who completed hip-worn triaxial accelerometry for 7 consecutive days. Follow-up for incident HF occurred through February 2022. Data were analyzed from March to December 2023. Exposure: Daily PA (total, light, moderate to vigorous PA [MVPA], steps) and sedentary (total, mean bout duration) behavior. Main Outcomes and Measures: Adjudicated incident HF, HFpEF, and HFrEF. Results: A total of 5951 women (mean [SD] age, 78.6 [6.8] years) without known HF were included in this analysis. Women self-identified with the following race and ethnicity categories: 2004 non-Hispanic Black (33.7%), 1022 Hispanic (17.2%), and 2925 non-Hispanic White (49.2%). There were 407 HF cases (257 HFpEF; 110 HFrEF) identified through a mean (SD) of 7.5 (2.6) years (range, 0.01-9.9 years) of follow-up. Fully adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for overall HF, HFpEF, and HFrEF associated with a 1-SD increment were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.75-0.95), 0.78 (95% CI, 0.67-0.91), and 1.02 (95% CI, 0.81-1.28) for minutes per day total PA; 0.74 (95% CI, 0.63-0.88), 0.71 (95% CI, 0.57-0.88), and 0.83 (95% CI, 0.62-1.12) for steps per day; and 1.17 (95% CI, 1.04-1.33), 1.29 (95% CI, 1.10-1.51), and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.75-1.18) for minutes per day total sedentary. Cubic spline curves for overall HF and HFpEF were significant inverse for total PA and steps per day and positive for total sedentary. Light PA and MVPA were inversely associated with overall HF (HR per 1 SD: 0.88; 95% CI, 0.78-0.98 and 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.97) and HFpEF (0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.93 and 0.85; 95% CI, 0.72-1.01) but not HFrEF. Associations did not meaningfully differ when stratified by age, race and ethnicity, body mass index, physical function, or comorbidity score. Results for sedentary bout duration were inconsistent. Conclusions and Relevance: Higher accelerometer-measured PA (MVPA, light PA, steps per day) was associated with lower risk (and greater total sedentary time with higher risk) of overall HF and HFpEF in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of older women. Increasing PA and reducing sedentary time for primary HFpEF prevention may have relevant implications for cardiovascular resilience and healthy aging in later life.

Accuracy of self-reported treated hypertension in the women's health initiative: Comparisons with medication inventories.

Few studies have reported on the accuracy of self-reported hypertension history among older postmenopausal women, which was this study's objective. Participants were postmenopausal women enrolled in the Osteoporosis and Periodontal Disease (OsteoPerio) study, an ancillary investigation of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) at the Buffalo, New York, clinical site. Participants self-reported their history of physician diagnosed hypertension treated with medication at WHI-OS enrollment (1993-1998; n = 1342, mean age 63 years), then 3 years later at OsteoPerio enrollment (1997-2001; n = 1342), and again at OsteoPerio Year 5 follow-up (2002-2005; n = 1020). At each time point, medication inventories were recorded and served as the criterion with which self-report was compared in the present study. Physician diagnosed-treated hypertension was also self-reported annually on mailed health update questionnaires in the WHI-OS and were compared against medication inventory at the subsequent clinic exam. Of those participants who self-reported a history of hypertension at WHI enrollment, OsteoPerio enrollment, and OsteoPerio Year 5 follow-up, 41.2%, 90.3%, and 94.4%, respectively, had anti-hypertensive pills in their medication inventory. Across the three time points, sensitivity and specificity ranged from 0.72 to 0.98 and from 0.85 to 0.95, and kappa coefficients ranged from 0.52 to 0.79 when comparing self-report with medication inventory. For self-reported newly physician-diagnosed and treated hypertension on the annual health update questionnaire, 88.4% and 95.2% of those reporting hypertension had anti-hypertensive pills in the subsequent medication inventory. In general, sensitivity and kappa were lower in women aged ≥70 versus < 70 years and in those with history of cardiovascular disease and diabetes compared to those without these comorbidities. In this cohort of postmenopausal women, self-reported physician diagnosed and treated hypertension demonstrated moderate to high accuracy when compared against anti-hypertensive medication use documented by pill inventory, particularly for those who were younger and managing fewer comorbidities.

Physical performance changes as clues to late-life blood pressure changes with advanced age: the osteoporotic fractures in men study.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether changes in late-life physical performance are associated with contemporaneous changes in blood pressure (BP) in older men. DESIGN: prospective cohort study over 7 years. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Physical performance (gait speed, grip strength, chair stand performance) and clinic-measured BP at baseline and at least one follow-up (year 7 or 9) were assessed in 3,135 men aged ≥65 y enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS). METHODS: Generalized estimating equation analysis of multivariable models with standardized point estimates (ß [95% CI]) described longitudinal associations between physical performance and BP changes in participants overall, and stratified by baseline cardiovascular disease (CVD), antihypertensive medication use (none, ≥1), and enrollment age (<75 years; ≥75 years). RESULTS: Overall, positive associations (z-score units) were found between each increment increase in gait speed and systolic (SBP) (0.74 [0.22, 1.26]) and grip strength (0.35 [0.04, 0.65]) or gait speed (0.55 [0.24, 0.85]) with diastolic (DBP). Better grip strength and chair stand performance over time were associated with 1.83 [0.74, 2.91] and 3.47 [0.20, 6.74] mmHg higher SBP, respectively in men with CVD at baseline (both interaction P < .05). Gait speed increases were associated with higher SBP in men without CVD (0.76 [0.21, 1.32]), antihypertensive medication non-users (0.96 [0.30, 1.62]), aged <75 years (0.73 [0.05, 1.41]) and ≥75 years (0.76 [0.06, 1.47]). Similar positive, but modest associations for DBP were observed with grip strength in men with CVD, antihypertensive medication non-users, and aged <75 years, and with gait speed in men without CVD, aged <75 years, and irrespective of antihypertensive medication use. CONCLUSION: In older men, better physical performance is longitudinally associated with higher BP. Mechanisms and implications of these seemingly paradoxical findings, which appears to be modified by CVD status, antihypertensive medication use, and age, requires further investigation.

Association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and lesion ischemia in patients with atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Air pollution has been associated with coronary artery disease. The underlying mechanisms were understudied, especially in relation to coronary stenosis leading to myocardial ischemia. Advances in computed tomography (CT) allow for novel quantification of lesion ischemia. We aim to investigate associations between air pollution exposures and fractional flow reserve on CT (CT-FFR), a measure of coronary artery blood flow. METHODS: CT-FFR, which defines a ratio of maximal myocardial blood flow compared to its normal value (range: 0-100%), was characterized in 2017 patients with atherosclerosis between 2015 and 2017. Exposures to ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were estimated using high-resolution exposure models. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association of each air pollutant with CT-FFR and with the prevalence of clinically relevant myocardial ischemia (CT-FFR <75%). RESULTS: Participants were on average 60.1 years old. Annual mean O3, NO2, PM2.5 were 61, 47 and 60 µg/m3, respectively. Mean CT-FFR value was 76.9%. In the main analysis, a higher level of O3 was associated with a lower CT-FFR value (-1.74%, 95% CI: -2.85, -0.63 per 8 µg/m3) and a higher prevalence of myocardial ischemia (odds ratio: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.05-1.65), adjusting for potential confounders such as risk factors and plaque phenotypes, independent of the effects of exposure to NO2 and PM2.5. No associations were observed for PM2.5 or NO2 with CT-FFR. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to O3 is associated with lower CT-FFR value in atherosclerotic patients, indicating higher risk of lesion ischemia.

Correlates of physical activity and sedentary behavior among cancer survivors and cancer-free women: The Women's Health Accelerometry Collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Describing correlates of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) among postmenopausal cancer survivors can help identify risk profiles and can be used to support development of targeted interventions to improve PA and reduce SB in this population. OBJECTIVE: To describe PA/SB and identify correlates of PA/SB among cancer and cancer-free post-menopausal women. METHODS: Women from the Women's Health Study (N = 16,629) and Women's Health Initiative/Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Study (N = 6,079) were asked to wear an accelerometer on the hip for 7 days. Multiple mixed-effects linear regression models were used to identify sociodemographic-, health-, and chronic condition-related correlates (independent variables) associated with PA and SB (dependent variables) among women with (n = 2,554) and without (n = 20,154) a history of cancer. All correlates were mutually adjusted for each other. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, women with a history of cancer took fewer mean daily steps (4,572 (standard deviation 2557) vs 5,029 (2679) steps/day) and had lower mean moderate-to-vigorous PA (74.9 (45.0) vs. 81.6 (46.7) minutes/day) than cancer-free women. In adjusted analyses, for cancer and cancer-free women, age, diabetes, overweight, and obesity were inversely associated with all metrics of PA (average vector magnitude, time in moderate-to-vigorous PA, step volume, time at ≥40 steps/minutes, and peak 30-minute step cadence). In unadjusted analyses, mean SB was similar for those with and without cancer (529.7 (98.1) vs. 521.7 (101.2) minutes/day). In adjusted analyses, for cancer and cancer-free women, age, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, current smoking, overweight, and obesity were positive correlates of SB, while Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity, weekly/daily alcohol intake, and excellent/very good/good self-rated health were inverse correlates of SB. CONCLUSION: Several sociodemographic, health, and chronic conditions were correlates of PA/SB for postmenopausal women with and without cancer. Future studies should examine longitudinal relationships to gain insight into potential determinants of PA/SB.

Low physical function following cancer diagnosis is associated with higher mortality risk in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Postmenopausal women with cancer experience an accelerated physical dysfunction beyond what is expected through aging alone due to cancer and its treatments. The aim of this study was to determine whether declines in physical function after cancer diagnosis are associated with all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 8068 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative with a cancer diagnosis and who had physical function assessed within 1 year of that diagnosis. Self-reported physical function was measured using the 10-item physical function subscale of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Cause of death was determined by medical record review, with central adjudication and linkage to the National Death Index. Death was adjudicated through February 2022. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 7.7 years from cancer diagnosis, 3316 (41.1%) women died. Our results showed that for every 10% difference in the physical function score after cancer diagnosis versus pre-diagnosis, all-cause mortality and cancer-specific mortality were reduced by 12% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.87 to 0.89 and HR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.86 to 0.91, respectively). Further categorical analyses showed a significant dose-response relationship between postdiagnosis physical function categories and mortality outcomes (P < .001 for trend), where the median survival time for women in the lowest physical function quartile was 9.1 years (Interquartile range [IQR] = 8.6-10.6 years) compared with 18.4 years (IQR = 15.8-22.0 years) for women in the highest physical function quartile. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women with low physical function after cancer diagnosis may be at higher risk of mortality from all causes and cancer-related mortality.