Actigraphy-Based Movement Profiles and Their Association With Circadian Rhythms Integrity in Real-World Settings

Both active movement profiles and robust circadian rhythms are linked to improved health outcomes, yet the underlying mechanisms remain partially understood. We investigated this relationship in young adults (n = 169, aged 18-30 years) under real-world conditions using actigraphy data. We performed k-means clustering on 12 accelerometer-based features capturing magnitude, duration, frequency, and intensity distribution to derive movement behavior profiles. As a proxy of circadian rhythms integrity, we computed the Circadian Function Index (CFI), which combines intradaily variability, interdaily stability, and relative amplitude. We also assessed circadian phase and sleep quality parameters. In addition, we quantified light exposure and physical activity over 3-h daily intervals. The unsupervised algorithm identified 2 non-overlapping profiles among participants, the More Active (MA) and the Less Active (LA) profiles. MA exhibited a higher CFI (0.81 ± 0.06 vs 0.69 ± 0.06, p < 0.001), which was also positively associated with early-evening physical activity, but not with light exposure. MA also showed an earlier activity-based phase indicator, the midpoint of the 5 least-active hours (L5c, 04:30 ± 01:03 vs 04:59 ± 01:15, p adj. = 0.04), which was inversely associated with early-morning physical activity and late-morning light exposure. We found no differences in sleep quality between MA and LA. Our results underscore the association between movement behavior and overall circadian rhythms integrity. Importantly, these findings reinforce actigraphy as a multidimensional tool for both health research and clinical applications.