Changes in blood pressure during the transition of retirement: the role of physical activity in China.

As baby boomers begin to retire, China faces an unprecedented transition in its labor market. A healthy transition into retirement, whereby a health status is retained, can curb medical care expenditures. However, little is known about health effects of retirement in China. Thus, this study investigated whether and to what extent retirement affected retirees' blood pressure, and the role that leisure physical activity played in this relationship. We used a nationally representative panel data collected during the 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2011 waves of the Chinese Health Nutrition Survey. Respondents who were older than 35 years and younger than 70 were included; our final sample size was 26,190. A four-step mediation model was constructed to examine the relationships between retirement, leisure physical activity, and blood pressure. Retirement predicted an decrease in systolic (coefficient of length time of retirement: -0.117; standard error:0.041; p < 0.01) and diastolic blood pressure level (coefficient of length time of retirement: -0.204; standard error: 0.062; p < 0.01), and a lower prevalence of hypertension (odd ratio of length time of retirement: 0.979; 95% CI: 0.968-0.990; p < 0.01) without leisure physical activity adjusted. However, these effects were reduced when the effects of physical activity were controlled for. A mediation effect of physical activity on the association between retirement and likelihood of hypertension/blood pressure was observed. These findings have implications for public policy that aims to promote health by taking advantage of postretirement adaptation; specifically, the findings suggest that the promotion of physical activity may facilitate a healthier transition into retirement.