In a study published in the most recent Annals of Epidemiology, researchers in China report that inactivity now contributes to more deaths annually in Hong Kong than tobacco consumption, the Agence France Presse reports. Among individuals ages 35 years and older, a lack of physical activity was associated with 6,450 deaths in Hong Kong in 1998, while smoking was responsible for 5,270 deaths. The AFP notes that physical inactivity increases the risk of cancer-related mortality by 45% in men and 28% in women, while it increases the risk of developing a fatal respiratory ailment by 92% in men and 75% in women. The researchers reiterate the advice that even “moderate increases” in activity can be beneficial to health (AFP/Yahoo news, 7/24).
