Sedentary behaviour and activity patterns of older adults in an acute hospital setting: An exploratory study

Hospitalisation is a period of low physical activity, particularly for older adults. Objective measurement of activity levels is essential to evaluate the impact of interventions to maintain or improve function.

A prospective exploratory study examining patterns of sedentary behaviour and physical activity using an accelerometer-based activity monitor (activPAL™) in an acute hospital setting. A secondary objective was to review patient and staff acceptability of accelerometer use and views on the barriers and opportunities to maintaining function.

Forty-nine adults were recruited with a mean (SD) age of 83.0 (9.64) years (67% females). The mean (SD) time spent sitting or lying was 19.9 (5.03) hours with patients taking 657 (820) steps per day. There were no significant differences between steps per day for different genders (p = 0.78), age groups (p = 0.77) or diagnostic groups (p = 0.60). There was a moderate correlation between the daily number of steps and the Functional Independence Measure (r = 0.37, p < .05). Eighty-six per cent of patient's found accelerometer use acceptable compared to 50% of staff.

This study has provided rich characterisation of activity patterns in hospital, where low levels of activity were identified. These findings can support future occupational therapy functional maintenance initiatives.