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Accelerometer-derived "weekend warrior" physical activity pattern and risk of age-related eye diseases: a prospective
Yuze Mi1, Jiahui Zong1, Shangdong Wang2
1State Key Laboratory of Eye Health, Eye Hospital and National Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Background:
International guidelines recommend at least 150 min of weekly moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), but whether concentrated versus distributed activity patterns differ in their associations with age-related eye diseases remains unclear.
Methods:
This prospective cohort study included 86,271 UK Biobank participants free of age-related eye diseases at baseline. Physical activity was assessed using wrist-mounted triaxial accelerometers (Axivity AX3) over seven consecutive days. Two MVPA thresholds were examined: ≥ 150 min/week (primary) and ≥ 300 min/week (secondary). Participants were categorized as: inactive (below threshold), weekend warriors (WW; meeting threshold with ≥ 50% MVPA concentrated within 1-2 days), or regularly active (meeting threshold without WW criteria). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess associations over a median follow-up of 7.9 years.
Results:
At the ≥ 150 min/week threshold, both WW (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84-0.94, P < 0.001) and regularly active patterns (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.87-0.99, P = 0.028) were associated with a reduced risk of cataract compared to inactivity. The WW pattern was also associated with a reduced risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR, HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.55-0.99, P = 0.043) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD, HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.75-0.97, P = 0.016). Direct comparisons between the WW and regularly active patterns showed no significant differences for these conditions (all P > 0.05), except for a nominal difference in glaucoma (P = 0.036). At the ≥ 300 min/week threshold, only the WW pattern remained significantly associated with reduced risk of cataract (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86-0.97, P = 0.002) and glaucoma (HR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.97, P = 0.019).
Conclusion:
Both the WW and regularly active patterns demonstrate protective associations with age-related eye diseases compared to inactivity, with no statistically significant differences between the two active groups for most outcomes. These findings suggest that the WW approach is a viable and flexible alternative for individuals who find it difficult to maintain daily physical activity.
