摘要:Background: The prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is rapidly increasing in Iran. It holds themost prevalent cancer after skin, breast, and gastric cancers among the Iranian population. Thecurrent study was designed to investigate the effects of leisure time, occupational and householdphysical activity as well as exercise on the risk of CRC in the Iranian population. Methods: In this population?based case–control study, 100 individuals with a recent diagnosisof CRC who were eligible for the study were recruited between 2006 and 2008. The controlgroups were selected from patients’ companions (excluding first? and second?degree relatives) without past history of cancer or any physical disability. Physical activity of the participants wasevaluated using a Kriska retrospective physical activity questionnaire. The relation between CRCand physical activity was assessed via logistic regression model and calculating the odds ratio (OR) as well as a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: According to the findings, the adjusted OR of occupational (OR=0.98, 95%, CI: 0.95–1.02) and house holding physical activities (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 0.99–1.08) were notsignificantly different between the case and control groups for women (P>0.05). The risk of CRCshows a significant reduction in individuals with moderate leisure physical activities compared tothose with minimal activities (OR=0.82, CI 95%: 0.73–0.98). Conclusions: The study suggests that the risk of CRC will decrease in individuals with higherleisure physical activities (especially with an increase in hours of brisk walking during the day).