Prevention & lipids

Timing of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and mortality risk: role of chronotype and sleep patterns

Eur J Prev CardiolPublished Prospective cohort study

Main finding · All-cause mortality (guideline-adherent, adjusted for total MVPA volume)Result — go to the resultHazard ratio 0.79 95% CI 0.65–0.97

Authors' conclusion

Among adults meeting MVPA guidelines, a midday-active pattern was associated with lower all-cause mortality independent of MVPA volume.

Study context

Population
UK Biobank participants aged 40–73 years with wrist-worn accelerometryUK Biobank
Participants
75,509 participants
Exposure
Diurnal moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) timing patterns vs consistently active
Outcome
All-cause mortality
Follow-up
Median 8.7 years
Methodological detailsaccelerometry, K-means clustering
  • Accelerometry
  • K-means clustering

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

All-cause mortality (guideline-adherent, adjusted for total MVPA volume)

Hazard ratio

0.79

95% CI 0.65–0.97

P = 0.022

Middayvs Consistently active
HR 0.79 (95% CI 0.65–0.97); P = 0.022

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Secondary outcomes

Cancer and CVD mortality (guideline-adherent)

Associations attenuated and not statistically significant; Fine-Gray competing-risk models similar

Mortality, active patterns vs inactive

All active patterns associated with substantially lower mortality risk; largest reductions with midday pattern

Mortality by chronotype and sleep midpoint (stratified)

Associations less consistent in evening chronotype and later sleep midpoint strata

Original publication

Timing of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and mortality risk: role of chronotype and sleep patterns. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 15 April 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag209

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