Association between exercise habits including exercise partner and allergic rhinitis in a Japanese population

Evidence on the association between physical activity (PA) and allergic rhinitis (AR) remains inconsistent. While the prevalence of AR was high in Japan, no epidemiological study regarding this issue has been conducted.

This study examined the association between exercise habits including exercise partner and self-reported AR among Japanese young adults.

This cross-sectional study included 12,497 university students who underwent annual health checkups. Exercise habits were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire on frequency (none, 1-2/month, 1-3/week, ≥ 4/week), intensity (none, light, moderate, intense), and exercise partner (no exercise, group, friends, alone). AR was defined as responding "Yes" to the question about self-reported AR. Multivariable logistic regression estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), controlling for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol use.

Of 12,497 participants (mean age 20.1 ± 3.1 years; 60.4% men), the prevalence of AR was 20.0% (n = 2,500). Compared with non-exercisers, high-frequency exercise (≥ 4/week) was independently and inversely associated with AR (adjusted OR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.72-0.96; p for trend = 0.008). Inverse associations between intense exercise (adjusted OR = 0.84, 95%CI 0.75-0.95), exercising with groups (adjusted OR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.72-0.94), and AR were also observed.

Among Japanese young adults, frequent and intense exercise, particularly in organized settings, was independently and inversely associated with self-reported AR. These findings provide the first large-scale evidence from Japan suggesting an inverse association between habitual exercise and AR.