ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
Cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity and risk of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 hospitalization: the HUNT study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundPhysical activity (PA) has been associated with a reduced risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. However, the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalization has not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to investigate the association of estimated CRF (eCRF) and leisure-time PA (LTPA) with risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 related hospitalization in a general population of Norwegian adults.
methodsThis cohort study included 48,821 adults participating in the population based Trøndelag Health Study (the HUNT Study). Individual data on pre-pandemic (2017-2019) eCRF and LTPA were linked to COVID-19 registries from February 2020 through September 2022. eCRF was categorized into sex-and-age specific quintiles based on V̇O
resultsAge averaged 53.6 years (SD 16.8) and 53.9% were women. During 2.6 years of follow-up there were 5991 SARS-CoV-2 infections and 218 COVID-19 related hospitalizations. Fitness and LTPA categories did not associate with risk of infection. However, adults with the highest eCRF had significantly lower risk of hospitalization compared to adults with the lowest eCRF (IRR, 0.54, 95% CI, 0.34-0.86). Similarly, sufficiently active adults (> 7.5 MET h/wk) prior to the pandemic had significantly lower risk of being hospitalized compared to inactive adults (IRR, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.47-0.83).
conclusionsHigher eCRF and LTPA were not associated with risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In contrast, adults with high eCRF and LTPA were associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 related hospitalization compared to adults with low fitness and inactive lifestyles.
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