Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025

Author Spotlight: Traditional Chinese Medicine for Sleep Disorders in Acute COPD — A Safe, Cost-Effective Approach
Published on: October 18, 2024
Association between physical activity and risk of obstructive sleep apnea
Xueru Duan1, Murui Zheng2, Shangfei He3
1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, 2F, Block 20, No.74, Zhongshan Second Road, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Purpose:
This aim of this study was to investigate the association of physical activity with OSA risk among adult Chinese.
Methods:
Participants were selected from baseline survey of the Guangzhou Heart Study. OSA was ascertained by using Berlin Questionnaire, and the physical activity, including leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), occupational activity, and transport activity, was measured with modified Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Principal component analysis was used to extract the patterns of LTPA with varimax orthogonal transformation. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated by using the logistic regression method.
Results:
For all 9733 participants, aged 35 to 74 years, LTPA (high vs. inactive, OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.64-1.03), occupational activity (vigorous vs. retirement, OR:1.28, 95% CI: 0.93-1.75) and transport activity (high vs. retirement, OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.69-1.60) were not associated with OSA risk after considering potential confounders. Any specific component of LTPA and two LTPA patterns were also not associated with OSA risk. Stratified analysis yielded similar nonsignificant association of OSA risk with three dimensions of physical activity in both the retirement group and non-retirement group.
Conclusion:
This study found that three dimensions of physical activity, including LTPA, transport activity, and occupational activity, were not associated with any risk of OSA. Future studies with longitudinal design are needed.
Related Concept Videos
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract II: Inspection
Chest Configuration
The chest configuration...
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Other Pulmonary Disorders
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract I: Health History
Subjective Data
Subjective data provides vital information about the patient's health history and symptoms. This data is typically collected through interviews in which patients describe their experiences, symptoms, and concerns.
Health history and...

