In a prospective cohort study of older women, all daily life physical activity (PA) was determined to have a role in the prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Data from accelerometers were worn for a required 7 days and used to measure light PA. Light PA was also analyzed as a continuous variable with and without adjustment for moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Researchers found:

• Among 5,861 women (mean age 78.5 years), 143 CHD events and 570 CVD events were observed.
• The highest quartile of light PA was associated with a 42% reduced risk of myocardial infarction or coronary death and a 22% reduced risk of incident CVD events vs the lowest quartile.
• These reduced risks persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health status variables, as well as MVPA.