Polypharmacy, physical activity, and sedentary time in older adults: A scoping review

To map out the studies that have investigated the associations of polypharmacy and/or potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use with physical activity and sedentary time in older adults.

We conducted a literature search from inception to December 2022 in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus.

observational studies including older adults (≥60 years); English, Portuguese, and Spanish languages; any definition of polypharmacy; implicit and explicit criteria of PIM use; physical activity and/or sedentary time data.

Fourteen cross-sectional studies were included; 11 defined polypharmacy as ≥5 medications (prevalence ranging from 9.5 % to 57 %). No study reported information on PIM use. Most studies included participants aged <80 years. Twelve studies included self-reported measures of physical activity, while two studies used accelerometer-measured physical activity. Ten studies included analyses adjusted for confounders, and nine considered polypharmacy as an outcome. All of them demonstrated an inverse association between physical activity and polypharmacy, irrespective of the definition of polypharmacy and the assessment method employed (self-reported or accelerometry). One study reported an inverse association between polypharmacy (as the exposure) and physical activity (as the outcome). None of the studies investigated the association between sedentary time and polypharmacy.

Limited evidence suggests an inverse association between physical activity and polypharmacy in older adults. However, the relationship between PIM use, physical activity, and sedentary time remains unknown. Longitudinal studies utilizing objectively-measured physical activity and sedentary time are needed to better clarify the relationship between these movement behaviors and polypharmacy and/or PIM use in older adults.