Prolonged Physical Inactivity in Older Adult Couples: A Dyadic Analysis Using Actigraphy

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Physical inactivity is prevalent in older adults, despite known health benefits.
• Inactivity within couples is often interdependent but understudied at the dyadic level.
• Most research focuses on individual physical inactivity, neglecting couple dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate prolonged physical inactivity in older adult couples.
• To identify physical and mental health determinants of inactivity using dyadic analysis.
• To explore couple-level factors influencing sedentary behavior in later life.

Main Methods:

• Included 46 heterosexual older adult couples (mean age 70.61 ± 6.56).
• Utilized actigraphy data over one month to measure prolonged inactive periods (≥30 min).
• Employed multilevel and dyadic modeling to analyze inactivity determinants.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in average inactive periods between partners within couples.
• Males averaged 6.90 ± 2.02 and females 6.56 ± 1.93 inactive periods daily.
• Older age associated with more inactivity in males; depressive symptoms and dependence in activities of daily living associated with inactivity in females.

Conclusions:

• Treating couples' activity as interdependent offers a novel approach to reducing older adult inactivity.
• Mental health and individual independence within the couple are key targets for intervention.
• Dyadic analysis provides unique insights into the complex factors driving inactivity in aging couples.