Lowering Risk of Cancer, Respiratory Disease, Diabetes? Exercise 150 Minutes Per Week: Study Suggests

A new questionnaire based study has suggested that individuals who reported the highest level of physical activity-meaning those who exercised moderately to vigorously at least 150 minutes per week-were at statistically significant lower risk of having 19 chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, and diabetes. The findings are published in preventing chronic disease journal.

The findings further suggest patients who are least active — meaning they reported little to no exercise in a given week — are at increased risk to develop a chronic disease.

The Exercise Vital Sign survey, as the questionnaire is called, asked patients two questions that they answered on a tablet:

• “On average, how many days per week do you engage in moderate to vigorous exercise (like a brisk walk)?” (0-7 days)

• “On average, how many minutes do you engage in exercise at this level?”

The researchers also compared results from patients who completed the surveys with more than 33,000 patients who weren’t offered the survey in other areas of the hospital. The researchers found patients who took the survey were younger and in better health than the patient population who weren’t given the questionnaire, based on analyzing all patients’ electronic medical records.

While the link between physical activity and reduced risk of chronic disease has been known, the researchers say the study underscores the value of surveying patients about their physical activity levels.

“We believe this finding is a result of those patients who take the time to come in for annual wellness exams also are taking more time to engage in healthy behaviors, such as being physically active,” Lucas Carr, associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, says.

Reference: Chapman CG, Schroeder MC, Marcussen B, Carr LJ. Identifying Patients at Risk for Cardiometabolic and Chronic Diseases by Using the Exercise Vital Sign to Screen for Physical Inactivity. Prev Chronic Dis 2025;22:240149. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd22.240149