Abstract: Spouses tend to have similar lifestyles. We explored the degree to which spouse similarity in alcohol use, smoking, and physical exercise is caused by non-random mating or convergence. We used data collected for the Nord-Trondelag Health Study from 1984 to 1986 and prospective registry information about when and with whom people entered marriage/cohabitation between 1970 and 2000. Our sample included 19,599 married/cohabitating couples and 1,551 future couples that were to marry/cohabitate in the 14-16 years following data collection. All couples were grouped according to the duration between data collection and entering into marriage/cohabitation. Age-adjusted polychoric spouse correlations were used as the dependent variables in non-linear segmented regression analysis; the independent variable was time. The results indicate that spouse concordance in lifestyle is due to both non-random mating and convergence. Non-random mating appeared to be strongest for smoking. Convergence in alcohol use and smoking was evident during the period prior to marriage/cohabitation, whereas convergence in exercise was evident throughout life. Reduced spouse similarity in smoking with relationship duration may reflect secular trends.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Population-based studies have reported conflicting findings on the relationship between physical activity and pain, and most studies reporting a relationship are cross sectional. Temporal relationships are therefore difficult to infer and associations may be subject to confounding from a variety of other factors. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between exercise and pain longitudinally and to use within subjects analyses to remove between subjects confounding. METHODS: In the population-based HUNT 3 study, participants reported both pain and level of exercise. A random sub-sample of 6419 participants was in addition invited to report their last week pain and exercise every three months over a 12 month period (five measurements in total). We used multilevel mixed effects linear regression analyses to prospectively estimate the association between regular levels of exercise (measured in HUNT 3) and subsequent longitudinal reporting of pain. We also estimated within-subjects associations (i.e. the variation in pain as a function of variation in exercise, over time, within individuals) to avoid confounding from between subject factors. RESULTS: Among those invited to participate (N = 6419), 4219 subjects returned at least two questionnaires. Compared with subjects who reported no or light exercise, those who reported moderate levels of exercise or more at baseline, reported less pain in repeated measures over a 12 month period in analyses adjusted for age, sex,education and smoking. Adjusting for baseline level of pain distinctly attenuated the findings. Within subjects, an increase in exercise was accompanied by a concurrent reduction in intensity of pain. However, we found no indication that exercise level at one occasion was related to pain reporting three months later. CONCLUSION: This longitudinal population-based study indicates that exercise is associated with lower level of pain and that this association is close in time.

Abstract: PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to examine how different approaches of the current exercise recommendations for adults associate with VO(2peak) in a large healthy population. We further examined how a lower duration than recommended, if performed at very vigorous intensity, was related to VO(2peak). METHODS: A total of 4631 healthy adults age 19-89 yr (2263 men and 2368 women) were tested for VO(2peak) (mean = 44.3 and 35.9 mL.kg(-1).min(-1) for men and women, respectively). Information on exercise habits was collected through a questionnaire, including questions on frequency, duration, and relative intensity (Borg scale 6-20). A general linear model was applied to assess the associations between physical activity and VO(2peak). RESULTS: VO(2peak) did not differ considerably between people who reported to exercise >/= 150 min.wk(-1) (average = 216 min.wk(-1) , VO(2peak) = 45.2 and 36.5 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)for men and women, respectively) with moderate intensity and people who reported 75-149 min.wk(-1) (average = 112.5 min.wk(-1) , VO(2peak) = 47.5 and 37.3 mL.kg(-1).min(-1) for men and women) with vigorous intensity, but it was higher than that in people who reported inactivity (VO(2peak) = 40.1 and 32.3 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)for men and women) or low-intensity exercise (VO(2peak) = 41.2 and 40.1 mL.kg(-1).min(-1)for men and women). Reporting exercise at very vigorous intensity but with a duration of less than 75 min.wk(-1) (average = 49 min.wk(-1) ) was associated with a VO(2peak) that was similarly high (47.6 and 36.7 mL.kg(-1).min(-1) for men and women). CONCLUSION: Our findings support current recommendations by showing that exercise of both “moderate intensity-long duration” and “vigorous intensity-short duration” was associated with similarly high VO(2peak). Our results also suggest that exercising at very vigorous intensity may be beneficial for VO(2peak) even with considerably lower total exercise time than expressed in today's recommendations.