Cross-sectional associations between accelerometer-measured physical activity and hip bone mineral density. The Tromsø study 2015–2016

Positive associations between physical activity and bone health have been found in population-based studies, however, mostly based on self-reported physical activity. Therefore, we investigated the association between accelerometer-measured physical activity, measured in steps per day and minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day, and total hip areal bone mineral density (aBMD) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a general population, utilizing multiple regression models. The study participants, 1560 women and 1177 men aged 40–84 years, were part of the seventh survey of the Tromsø Study (2015–2016). In both genders, we found a positive association between the number of daily steps and aBMD adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), and smoking status (p < .001). In women, an increase of 1000 steps per day was associated with 0.005 g/cm2 higher aBMD. For men, a polynomial curve indicated a positive association with aBMD up to 5000 steps per day, plateauing between 5000 and 14 000 steps, and then increasing again. Additionally, MVPA duration was positively associated with aBMD in both women (p < .001) and men (p = .004) when adjusted for age, BMI, and smoking status. Specifically, each 60-minute increase in daily MVPA was associated with 0.028 g/cm2 and 0.023 g/cm2 higher aBMD in women and men, respectively. Despite positive associations, the clinical impact of physical activity on aBMD in this general population of adults and older adults was relatively small, and a large increase in daily MVPA might not be achievable for most individuals. Therefore, further longitudinal population-based studies, incorporating device-based measures of physical activity could add more clarity to these relationships.