Association of leisure-time physical activity at different phases of life with work ability at the end of working life: a Finland-representative 45-year prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE: Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) has been linked to better work ability in cross-sectional and short-term follow-up studies. Less is known about the effects of long-term habitual LTPA on work ability. We investigated whether differences in lifetime LTPA from adolescence to late adulthood affect work ability at the end of working life. METHODS: In this 45-year observational cohort study involving a nationally representative Finnish sample, we created a latent lifetime LTPA factor from three self-report PA measurements at ages 10-19, 35-44 and 55-64 years. The association between the lifetime LTPA factor and validated Work Ability Index at the end of working life (age 55-64 years) was explored with structural equation modelling-based linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Higher lifetime LTPA was associated with higher work ability at the end of working life (N=2385, 45% males; ß=0.22, SE=0.05, p2.38 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-hour/day (>300 min moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) or >150 min vigorous PA (VPA)/week) vs inactive (