NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most elderly UK women meet physical activity requirements through housework, but that form of exercise does not appear to improve health, UK researchers report.

Housework "doesn't appear to have the same physical benefits as other forms of physical activity," Dr. Shah Ebrahim of the University of Bristol told Reuters Health.

Ebrahim and his colleagues base their findings on physical examinations and surveys of 2,341 women between the ages of 60 and 79. The participants indicated how much physical activity they engaged in each week, along with other health behaviors and disease history.

Recently, policymakers in the US and UK have shifted from recommending 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times per week to encouraging regular bouts of moderate activity that is incorporated into daily life, such as gardening, walking and housework.

However, while many studies have demonstrated that moderate activity can benefit health, few have examined the effects of domestic forms of moderate activity.

In the present study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the investigators found that two thirds of the women surveyed were meeting recommendations for physical activity, but that the majority were doing so through heavy housework. Indeed, once the factor of this form of exercise was excluded, only 21% of the participants could be considered regularly active.

The researchers defined heavy housework as vacuuming and washing windows and floors, for example, while dusting and cooking represented light housework.

The researchers found that women who engaged in at least one half hour of heavy housework per week were no less likely than those who don't do any housework to be overweight, and did not have lower resting heart rates, a measure of fitness.

In contrast, women engaging in other activities were healthier than those who performed only housework. For example, women who reported at least one half hour of brisk walking per week were half as likely to be overweight as those who didn't take walks.

These findings suggest "that housework isn't perhaps doing what we would like it to," Ebrahim stated.

The researcher added that he and his colleagues only measured the amount of time spent on housework, and not the intensity of the activity. As women age, he explained, they may have less energy, and take many breaks or move slowly through tasks, "and consequently, not get any health conditioning effect."

Ebrahim also noted that few enjoy doing housework, so some women may overestimate the amount of time they have spent on domestic activities.

Ebrahim's team is currently following the women for up to 10 years, to note who has a heart attack or stroke, and will compare rates among women who engage in different types of physical activity.

"We all know that doing more physical activity is good for your health. And it's all a question of what counts," Ebrahim said.

SOURCE: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2002;56:473-478.

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