Domain-Specific Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults With Mobility Disability Risk Residing in a...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) offer a unique setting to study health behaviors in older adults.
• Mobility disability risk is a significant concern for aging populations, impacting independence and quality of life.
• Physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) are key modifiable factors influencing mobility and overall health in seniors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate domain-specific physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in older adults residing in a CCRC.
• To examine these behaviors in relation to the risk of mobility disability, assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of data from 100 older adults in a CCRC.
• Mobility disability risk was determined using SPPB scores (high risk: <10; low risk: ≥10).
• PA and SB were self-reported and analyzed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Quade's ANOVA).

Main Results:

• The low-risk mobility group exhibited higher total and leisure-time PA compared to the high-risk group.
• The low-risk group also reported significantly more total and non-screen sedentary minutes.
• However, after adjusting for covariates (age, perceived health, assistive device use), these differences became nonsignificant (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• The study highlights generally low PA and high SB levels among older adults in the CCRC setting.
• Despite nonsignificant adjusted differences, the findings underscore the need for targeted interventions.
• Interventions aimed at increasing PA and decreasing SB are crucial for this population to mitigate mobility disability risks.