Device-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity in older adults differ by demographic and health-related factors

Abstract

Background: Our aim was to describe and explore older adults' device-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity (PA) pattern by sex, age, education, marital status, body mass index, and physical function; and to assess agreement regarding fulfillment of PA recommendations, i.e. 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA), between device-measured and self-reported PA. Method: We included 656 older adults (64% women), aged 66, 81-87 or ≥ 90 years from a Swedish populationbased cohort study. The activPAL3 accelerometer provided information on sedentary behavior (sedentary time, sedentary bouts, sit-to-stand transitions) and PA. Stepping ≥100 steps/min was considered MVPA; standing and stepping < 100 steps/min were considered light-intensity PA (LPA). Self-reported PA was compared with min/week in MVPA and steps/day. Results: On average, 60% of wear time was spent sedentary, 36% in LPA, and 4% in MVPA. Relative to men, women, had significantly (p < 0.05) more sit-to-stand transitions, spent 33 min/day less sedentary and 27 min/day more in LPA, and were more likely to report meeting PA recommendations, but showed no difference in steps/day, MVPA, or sedentary bout duration. Older age was associated with more sedentary time, lower MVPA and fewer steps/day. The prevalence of meeting PA recommendations was 59% device-measured and 88% by self-report with limited agreement between methods (Cohen's Kappa = 0.21, Spearman's rho = 0.28). Age differences were much more pronounced with objective measures than by self-report. Conclusions: We found significant sex differences in sedentary behavior and time in LPA in older adults, but not in MVPA, in contrast to previous findings. Sedentary time increased with age, with small differences in accumulation pattern. MVPA time was lower with older age, obesity, and poor physical function. A majority of the participants > 80 years did not meet the PA recommendations. Given the strong relationships between sedentary behavior, PA and health in older adults, programs are needed to address these behaviors. Agreement between device-measured and self-reported fulfillment of PA recommendations was limited. Device-based measurement adds value to PA studies, providing richer and different data than self-report.

Association between frailty syndrome and sedentary behavior among community-dwelling older adults in the Amazon region: a cross-sectional study

“…37 Our hypothesis for the difference regarding the time spent on sedentary behavior is that the population of this study has specific sociocultural conditions. It is known that older women are usually more physically active than older men, 41,42 as older women tend to spend more time on physical activities, such as doing housework and taking care of their grandchildren. 43 Moreover, domestic physical activity accounts for a significant proportion of self-reported daily physical activity, particularly among females.…”

Not Only Diabetes but Also Prediabetes Leads to Functional Decline and Disability in Older Adults

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The Effects of a Pain Management-Focused Mobile Health Behavior Intervention on Older Adults’ Self-efficacy, Satisfaction with Functioning, and Quality of Life: a Randomized Pilot Trial

“…Participant characteristics were summarized using mean (SD) for continuous measures and n (%) for count measures. The effect of MORPH on self-efficacy for walking, satisfaction with physical functioning, and each SF-36 subscale was assessed via mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) models including group, time (baseline, week 12), and their interaction as fixed factors, controlling for age and sex due to their association with levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior [24]. In light of our small sample size, we focus our interpretation on | 2 effect sizes following Cohen's guidelines ( [25], pp.…”