Diurnal patterns of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour in older men

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) levels among older adults are generally low and sedentary behaviour (SB) very common; increasing PA and reducing SB levels could have appreciable health benefits. Quantifying PA and SB patterns through the day could help in defining strategies for change. We examined within day variations in PA and SB and whether these varied by demographic factors and health status.MethodsMen aged 71-91 years participating in an established UK population-based cohort study were invited to wear a GT3x Actigraph accelerometer over the hip for one week in 2010-12. Percentages of time spent in sedentary (SB, <100 counts per minute [CPM]); in light (LIPA, 100-1040 CPM) and in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA, >1040 CPM) were derived. Multilevel models were used to estimate the associations between demographic factors and health status and SB, LIPA and MVPA.Results1455 of 3137 men invited (46.4 %) participated and provided adequate data. Men spent 73 % of the day in SB, 23 % in LIPA and 4.5 % in MVPA (619, 197 and 39 min per day respectively). The percentage of time spent in MVPA was highest in the morning, peaking at 10-11 am (8.4 %), and then declining until the evening, with the exception of a small increase at 2-3 pm. LIPA followed a similar pattern. Conversely, SB levels were lowest in the morning and increased throughout the day, peaking at 9 pm (88 %). Men who were older, did not use active transport, had mobility limitations, were obese, depressed, had more chronic health conditions, and were smokers had lower levels of MVPA. The impacts of older age, obesity, mobility limitations and chronic diseases on LIPA, MVPA and SB were more marked in the morning than in the afternoon and evening.ConclusionsLevels of MVPA and LIPA are highest in the morning (peak at 10-11 am) and decrease during the day. SB increases through the course of the day to peak in the evening. Interventions to encourage older men to be physically active may need to take account of current PA patterns, aiming to prolong active morning bouts of PA and/or reducing SB in the afternoon and evening hours.

Diurnal Patterns of Physical Activity in Relation to Activity Induced Energy Expenditure in 52 to 83 Years-Old Adults

“…This behaviour has been shown before in old individuals, where physical activity declined after a peak between 10:00 and 11:00 to give way to more sedentary behaviours [11, 12]. Comparing the patterns between active and sedentary subjects, active subjects had an earlier peak and sustained their activity level later in the day up to and including the third quarter (16:00–20:00 ca.).…”

“…Physical activity reaches a peak between 10 and 11AM, after which it declines, allowing a gradual increase in sedentary behaviours [11, 12]. Previous studies also demonstrated that with increasing age diurnal activity peaks disappeared with larger decreases in late afternoon and evening [13].…”

“…Previous studies also demonstrated that with increasing age diurnal activity peaks disappeared with larger decreases in late afternoon and evening [13]. It has been therefore suggested that prolonging active morning bouts of physical activity could contrast the decline in physical activity and it might be an effective strategy to maintain higher PAL [11]. However, studies about physical activity patterns have never classified subjects according to their energy-expenditure derived PAL and there is no evidence so far that subjects with higher PAL are less prone to the diurnal decline in physical activity.…”

Daily physical activity patterns among aging workers: the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study (FIREA)

“…We were not able to provide time spent in different activity intensities, such MVPA from the wrist-worn accelerometer. However, CPM have been previously used to describe patterns of physical activity24 40 and the CPM patterns follow closely the MVPA patterns of waist-worn devices 24. Furthermore, the activity patterns from wrist-worn and hip-worn accelerometers follow the same shape, even though the wrist-worn devices give around five times higher counts due to the larger movement of the wrist compared with the hip 22.…”

Improving the physical and mental well-being of typically hard-to-reach men: an investigation of the impact of the Active Rovers project

“…A physically inactive lifestyle is also associated with poor skeletal health, debilitating mental ill health, and increased premature mortality (Hakola et al 2015). Despite the reported positive associations between PA and health, epidemiological evidence suggests that PA levels decline with age (Sartini et al 2015). Furthermore, PA levels of older adults are typically low and levels of sedentary behaviour high.…”