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Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Diurnal Patterns of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and Sleep in Relation to Cancer Risk: Findings From a
Bowen Chen1,2,3, Yue Wu3, Yining Li4
1The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
International Journal of Cancer
|May 14, 2026
Summary
Engaging in early-morning physical activity (PA) is linked to a lower cancer risk. This effect is amplified when combined with a morning lark sleep pattern, suggesting a synergistic protective effect against cancer.
Area of Science:
- Chronobiology
- Cancer Epidemiology
- Lifestyle Medicine
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) and sleep are crucial modifiable lifestyle factors influencing health.
- The circadian patterns of PA and sleep and their relationship with cancer risk require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the independent and joint associations of circadian patterns of PA and sleep with cancer risk.
- To identify specific diurnal patterns of PA and sleep that may confer protection against cancer.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of accelerometer data from 9038 adults (aged ≥20 years) from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
- K-means clustering to derive circadian patterns of PA (early-morning, midday, late-afternoon) and sleep (morning lark, night owl, irregular).
- Weighted logistic regression to assess associations between PA/sleep patterns and cancer risk, adjusting for confounders.
Main Results:
- An early-morning PA pattern was associated with a 26% lower cancer risk compared to a midday PA pattern (OR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.61-0.90).
- The combination of early-morning PA and morning lark sleep showed a synergistic protective effect, reducing cancer risk by 31% compared to midday PA with morning lark sleep (OR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.49-0.96).
- The inverse association between early-morning PA and cancer risk was more pronounced in females. No significant associations were found for sleep patterns alone.
Conclusions:
- An early-morning physical activity pattern is associated with a reduced risk of cancer.
- Combining an early-morning PA pattern with a morning lark sleep chronotype enhances cancer risk reduction.
- These findings highlight the importance of aligning PA and sleep circadian rhythms for cancer prevention.
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