# The association between stair climbing and modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors: the Suita Study

## TL;DR

This study found that climbing stairs frequently is linked to lower risks of obesity, smoking, inactivity, and stress, which may help prevent cardiovascular disease.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that stair climbing is inversely associated with multiple modifiable CVD risk factors in a Japanese population.

## Key findings

- Stair climbing more than 60% of the time is linked to lower odds of obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress.
- Adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle, and medical conditions confirmed the inverse associations with CVD risk factors.
- The results suggest stair climbing could play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease.

## Abstract

Stair climbing is a readily available form of physical activity with potential cardiovascular benefits. This study aimed to investigate the association between stair climbing and numerous modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 7282 Japanese people (30–84 years) residing in Suita City, Osaka. CVD risk factors and stair climbing frequency were assessed during the Suita Study health examination. Logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for CVD risk factors across stair climbing frequencies.

After adjustment for age, sex, lifestyle, and medical conditions, stair climbing >60% of the time, compared to <20% of the time, was inversely associated with obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress: ORs (95% CIs) = 0.63 (0.53, 0.75), 0.81 (0.69, 0.96), 0.48 (0.41, 0.55), and 0.67 (0.58, 0.78), respectively (p-trends < 0.05).

Stair climbing was inversely associated with obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and stress; suggesting a potential role for cardiovascular disease prevention.