Long‐Term Impact of Physical Activity on Mortality in Adults With Multimorbidity: A 12‐Year Cohort Longitudinal Study From the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

ABSTRACT Background While physical activity (PA) is known to reduce mortality in the general population, this relationship in individuals with multimorbidity (≥ 2 chronic conditions) is unclear. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether there is a long‐term association between PA levels and mortality rates over a 12‐year period in adults with multimorbidity. Methods Data were obtained from eight waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), from 28 European countries. PA levels were self‐reported via computer‐assisted personal interviews. Mortality during the follow‐up period was assessed using data obtained from caregivers through end‐of‐life interview. Multimorbidity was identified based on the presence of two or more 15 self‐reported chronic diseases/conditions. Cox's regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounders, was used to assess the association between PA level and mortality. p‐values were calculated using the Jonckheere–Terpstra test for continuous variables and the Mantel–Haenszel Chi‐square test for categorical variables, stratified by PA level. Results The study included 9216 participants with multimorbidity (mean age 69 ± 10.1 years; 58.7% were women). Among those with multimorbidity, individuals with high PA level were significantly younger, more frequently men, less impaired in activities of daily living, less educated and less frequently obese than those with very low level of PA (p