Physical activity attenuates the excess mortality risk from prolonged sitting time among adults with osteoporosis or osteopenia

Osteoporosis is a common generalized skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture. This study aims to crystallize associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour with the survival of adults with osteoporosis or osteopenia. A total of 3103 participants aged 50 years or older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in the study. All participants were diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association of PA and sedentary behaviour with overall mortality, cancer-related mortality, and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality. During 21349 person-years of follow-up, 675 deaths were documented. Highly active participants had a lower risk of all-cause (hazard ratios [HR] = 0.61; 95