Dataset Information

Cancer incidence attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Physical inactivity has been consistently associated with increased risk of colorectal, endometrial, breast (in postmenopausal women), prostate, lung and ovarian cancers. The objective of the current analysis was to estimate the proportion and absolute number of site-specific cancer cases attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.

Methods

We used population attributable risks to estimate the proportion of each site-specific cancer attributable to inactivity. Relative risk estimates were obtained from the epidemiological literature, and prevalence estimates were calculated with the use of data from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 2.1 (2003). Respondents who acquired 1.5-2.9 kcal/kg per day and less than 1.5 kcal/kg per day of physical activity were classified as moderately active and inactive, respectively, and both levels were considered inadequate for mitigating cancer risks. We obtained age-, sex- and site-specific cancer incidence data from the Alberta Cancer Registry for 2012.

Results

About 59%-75% of men and 69%-78% of women did not engage in adequate physical activity. Overall, 13.8% of cancers across all associated cancers were estimated to be attributable to inadequate physical activity, representing 7.2% of all cancers diagnosed in Alberta in 2012. Suboptimal levels of physical activity had a greater impact among women: the proportion of all associated cancers attributable to inadequate physical activity was 18.3% for women and 9.9% for men.

Interpretation

A substantial proportion of cancer cases diagnosed in Alberta were estimated to be attributable to inadequate physical activity. With the high prevalence of physical inactivity among adults in the province, developing strategies to increase physical activity levels could have a notable impact on reducing future cancer burden in Alberta.

SUBMITTER: Brenner DR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5498322 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Cancer incidence attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.

Brenner Darren R DR Poirier Abbey E AE Grundy Anne A Khandwala Farah F McFadden Alison A Friedenreich Christine M CM

CMAJ open 20170501 2

<h4>Background</h4>Physical inactivity has been consistently associated with increased risk of colorectal, endometrial, breast (in postmenopausal women), prostate, lung and ovarian cancers. The objective of the current analysis was to estimate the proportion and absolute number of site-specific cancer cases attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.<h4>Methods</h4>We used population attributable risks to estimate the proportion of each site-specific cancer attributable to i ...[more]

PMID: 28468830

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundEstimates of the proportion of cancer cases that can be attributed to modifiable risk factors are not available for Canada and, more specifically, Alberta. The purpose of this study was to estimate the total proportion of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 that could be attributed to a set of 24 modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors.MethodsWe estimated summary population attributable risk estimates for 24 risk factors (smoking [both passive and active], overweight and obesity, inadequate physical activity, diet [inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, inadequate fibre intake, excess red and processed meat consumption, salt consumption, inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake], alcohol, hormones [oral contraceptives and hormone therapy], infections [Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, human papillomavirus, Helicobacter pylori], air pollution, natural and artificial ultraviolet radiation, radon and water disinfection by-products) by combining population attributable risk estimates for each of the 24 factors that had been previously estimated. To account for the possibility that individual cancer cases were the result of a combination of multiple risk factors, we subtracted the population attributable risk for the first factor from 100% and then applied the population attributable risk for the second factor to the remaining proportion that was not attributable to the first factor. We repeated this process in sequential order for all relevant exposures.ResultsOverall, an estimated 40.8% of cancer cases in Alberta in 2012 were attributable to modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. The largest proportion of cancers were estimated to be attributable to tobacco smoking, physical inactivity and excess body weight. The summary population attributable risk estimate was slightly higher among women (42.4%) than among men (38.7%).InterpretationAbout 41% of cancer cases in Alberta may be attributable to known modifiable lifestyle and environmental risk factors. Reducing the prevalence of these factors in the Alberta population has the potential to substantially reduce the provincial cancer burden.

Dataset Information

Cancer incidence attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.

Background

Methods

Results

Interpretation

Publications

Cancer incidence attributable to inadequate physical activity in Alberta in 2012.

Similar Datasets

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