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Published on: March 7, 2019
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Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary and Physical Activity Time and Their Correlates in European Older Adults: The
Maria Giné-Garriga1,2, Oriol Sansano-Nadal1, Mark A Tully3
1Department of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna, Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain.
Summary
Older adults spend most waking hours sedentary. Factors like older age, male sex, and slower gait speed correlate with increased sedentary time, highlighting the need for interventions to reduce sitting time.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) are key health determinants in older adults.
- Understanding SB and PA composition is crucial for targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the composition of accelerometer-measured SB and PA in older adults.
- To explore self-reported, context-specific SB patterns.
- To identify sociodemographic and functional correlates of higher SB levels.
Main Methods:
- 1360 community-dwelling older adults from the SITLESS study participated.
- SB and PA were measured using accelerometers over 7 days.
- Sociodemographic and functional correlates were assessed via regression analysis.
Main Results:
- Older adults spent 78.8% of waking time in SB, 18.6% in light PA, and 2.6% in moderate-to-vigorous PA.
- Television viewing and reading constituted 47.2% of waking time.
- Higher SB correlated with older age, male sex, single status, more medications, obesity, and slower gait speed.
Conclusions:
- The high prevalence of SB necessitates interventions to reduce sitting time.
- Improvements in gait speed may decrease sedentary time.
- Minor, but notable, country and sex differences exist in sedentary activity distribution.
