Participant baseline characteristics by VILPA duration and sex (non-exercisers, n= 22 368)
| Female | Male | |||||||
| Tertiles of VILPA duration (min/day) | 0 | 0.1–2.5 | 2.5–7.5 | 7.5 | 0 | 0.1–2.5 | 2.5–7.5 | 7.5 |
| Sample size (n) | 969 | 4017 | 4016 | 4016 | 371 | 2993 | 2993 | 2993 |
| Follow-up (in years), mean (SD) | 7.8 (1.2) | 7.9 (1.0) | 8.0 (0.9) | 8.0 (0.8) | 7.5 (1.5) | 7.8 (1.2) | 7.9 (1.1) | 7.9 (1.0) |
| Age (in years), mean (SD) | 64.8 (6.8) | 62.8 (7.5) | 60.9 (7.5) | 59.6 (7.4) | 65.7 (6.6) | 64.1 (7.3) | 62.4 (7.6) | 60.6 (7.8) |
| Ethnicity - white, n (%) | 937 (96.7) | 3878 (96.5) | 3850 (95.9) | 3819 (95.1) | 365 (98.4) | 2896 (96.8) | 2891 (96.6) | 2848 (95.2) |
| Smoking history, n (%) | ||||||||
| Current | 112 (11.6) | 347 (8.6) | 307 (7.6) | 265 (6.6) | 72 (19.4) | 340 (11.4) | 313 (10.5) | 274 (9.2) |
| Never | 538 (55.5) | 2355 (58.6) | 2487 (61.9) | 2510 (62.5) | 154 (41.5) | 1455 (48.6) | 1554 (51.9) | 1631 (54.5) |
| Previous | 319 (32.9) | 1315 (32.7) | 1222 (30.4) | 1241 (30.9) | 145 (39.1) | 1198 (40.0) | 1126 (37.6) | 1088 (36.4) |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%)* | ||||||||
| Never | 48 (5.0) | 220 (5.5) | 163 (4.1) | 185 (4.6) | 11 (3.0) | 76 (2.5) | 70 (2.3) | 71 (2.4) |
| Ex-drinker | 45 (4.6) | 159 (4.0) | 145 (3.6) | 105 (2.6) | 12 (3.2) | 107 (3.6) | 70 (2.3) | 89 (3.0) |
| Within guidelines | 667 (68.8) | 2749 (68.4) | 2779 (69.2) | 2751 (68.5) | 187 (50.4) | 1417 (47.3) | 1394 (46.6) | 1455 (48.6) |
| Above guidelines | 209 (21.6) | 889 (22.1) | 929 (23.1) | 975 (24.3) | 161 (43.4) | 1393 (46.5) | 1459 (48.7) | 1378 (46.0) |
| Education, n (%) | ||||||||
| College | 336 (34.7) | 1411 (35.1) | 1443 (35.9) | 1493 (37.2) | 159 (42.9) | 1215 (40.6) | 1140 (38.1) | 1111 (37.1) |
| A/AS level | 135 (13.9) | 531 (13.2) | 554 (13.8) | 550 (13.7) | 47 (12.7) | 324 (10.8) | 349 (11.7) | 349 (11.7) |
| O level | 223 (23.0) | 969 (24.1) | 973 (24.2) | 968 (24.1) | 60 (16.2) | 522 (17.4) | 602 (20.1) | 570 (19.0) |
| CSE | 36 (3.7) | 196 (4.9) | 214 (5.3) | 249 (6.2) | 9 (2.4) | 125 (4.2) | 138 (4.6) | 206 (6.9) |
| NVQ/HND/HNC | 36 (3.7) | 152 (3.8) | 142 (3.5) | 131 (3.3) | 27 (7.3) | 273 (9.1) | 280 (9.4) | 304 (10.2) |
| Other | 203 (20.9) | 758 (18.9) | 690 (17.2) | 625 (15.6) | 69 (18.6) | 534 (17.8) | 484 (16.2) | 453 (15.1) |
| Fruit and vegetable consumption, n (%)† | ||||||||
| Low | 404 (41.7) | 1695 (42.2) | 1677 (41.8) | 1646 (41.0) | 158 (42.6) | 1240 (41.4) | 1223 (40.9) | 1193 (39.9) |
| Moderate | 310 (32.0) | 1298 (32.3) | 1296 (32.3) | 1352 (33.7) | 97 (26.1) | 777 (26.0) | 788 (26.3) | 770 (25.7) |
| High | 255 (26.3) | 1024 (25.5) | 1043 (26.0) | 1018 (25.3) | 116 (31.3) | 976 (32.6) | 982 (32.8) | 1030 (34.4) |
| Medication, n (%) | ||||||||
| Cholesterol | 184 (19.0) | 493 (12.3) | 369 (9.2) | 239 (6.0) | 102 (27.5) | 697 (23.3) | 541 (18.1) | 410 (13.7) |
| Insulin | 15 (1.5) | 27 (0.7) | 22 (0.5) | 17 (0.4) | 7 (1.9) | 33 (1.1) | 23 (0.8) | 16 (0.5) |
| Blood pressure | 263 (27.1) | 734 (18.3) | 526 (13.1) | 377 (9.4) | 114 (30.7) | 759 (25.4) | 634 (21.2) | 420 (14.0) |
| Diagnosed cancer, n (%) | 147 (15.2) | 552 (13.7) | 439 (10.9) | 381 (9.5) | 28 (7.5) | 249 (8.3) | 204 (6.8) | 150 (5.0) |
| Family history of CVD, n (%) | 591 (61.0) | 2330 (58.0) | 2230 (55.5) | 2162 (53.8) | 182 (49.1) | 1569 (52.4) | 1573 (52.6) | 1480 (49.4) |
| Light activity (min/day), median (IQR) | 81.2 (83.6) | 86.5 (82.7) | 86.1 (73.9) | 88.2 (70.5) | 77.9 (71.5) | 88.4 (80) | 88.9 (78.6) | 93.4 (71.4) |
| Moderate activity (min/day), median (IQR) | 10.8 (14.5) | 17.9 (20.2) | 25.2 (23.8) | 36.7 (30.5) | 8.8 (10.8) | 15.7 (17.2) | 23.4 (21.8) | 33.3 (28.9) |
| Sleep duration (min/day), median (IQR) | 438.5 (84) | 439 (78.5) | 443.5 (74.6) | 441.1 (71.3) | 426.7 (89.3) | 433.5 (83.2) | 434.2 (78.8) | 432.8 (77.6) |
| Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), mean (SD) | 37.3 (7.9) | 36.0 (5.8) | 35.2 (4.7) | 34.8 (4.6) | 38.9 (9.6) | 37.1 (8.6) | 35.9 (6.4) | 35.3 (5.4) |
| HDL (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 1.5 (0.4) | 1.5 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.4) | 1.2 (0.3) | 1.2 (0.3) | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.3 (0.3) |
| LDL (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 3.7 (0.9) | 3.7 (0.9) | 3.7 (0.8) | 3.6 (0.8) | 3.4 (0.9) | 3.5 (0.9) | 3.6 (0.8) | 3.6 (0.8) |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 1.7 (0.9) | 1.7 (0.9) | 1.6 (0.8) | 1.4 (0.8) | 2.2 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.0 (1.1) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg), mean (SD) | 82.6 (10.2) | 81.9 (10.5) | 80.8 (10.4) | 79.5 (10.1) | 85.1 (10.5) | 85.4 (10.4) | 84.7 (10.3) | 83.8 (10.4) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg), mean (SD) | 140.8 (19.7) | 138.4 (19.5) | 136.0 (19.2) | 133.9 (19.0) | 145.3 (17.8) | 144.3 (17.9) | 142.6 (17.5) | 141.1 (17.5) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 29.3 (5.9) | 28.3 (5.8) | 27.0 (5.2) | 25.6 (4.5) | 29.6 (5.5) | 28.6 (4.6) | 27.7 (4.3) | 26.9 (3.9) |
| MACE incidence, n (%) | 52 (5.4) | 141 (3.5) | 80 (2.0) | 58 (1.4) | 34 (9.2) | 189 (6.3) | 150 (5.0) | 115 (3.8) |
| MACE subtype | ||||||||
| Myocardial infarction | 18 (1.8) | 60 (1.5) | 29 (1) | 22 (0.7) | 10 (2.7) | 101 (3.3) | 76 (2.5) | 63 (2.1) |
| Heart failure | 24 (2.5) | 40 (0.9) | 22 (1) | 10 (0.5) | 16 (4.3) | 41 (1.4) | 38 (1.3) | 24 (0.8) |
| Stroke‡ | 10 (1.0) | 41 (1.0) | 30 (1) | 25 (0.6) | 8 (2.2) | 50 (1.7) | 34 (1.1) | 27 (0.9) |
| Haemorrhagic | 1 (0.1) | 8 (0.2) | 12 (0.3) | 9 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 6 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 5 (0.2) |
| Ischaemic | 9 (0.9) | 33 (0.8) | 18 (0.5) | 16 (0.4) | 6 (1.6) | 43 (1.4) | 28 (0.9) | 22 (0.7) |
The columns breakdown corresponds to duration of VILPA bouts. Values represent mean (SD) unless specified otherwise.
*Alcohol consumption: above guidelines are >14 units per week, where 1 unit = 8 g of ethanol.
†Fruits and vegetable consumption: low is <5 servings per day, high is >8 servings per day.
‡There were three cases in stroke which was undetermined. Thus, they do not add to total stroke incidence. IQR: interquartile range.
CVD, cardiovascular disease; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MACE, major adverse cardiovascular events ; VILPA, vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.