Accelerometer-Determined Sedentary and Physical Activity Estimates Among Older Adults With Diabetes: Considerations by Demographic and Comorbidity Characteristics

Understanding of the objectively measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary patterns of adults with diabetes at the population level is currently limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to report accelerometer-determined PA and sedentary patterns among a national sample of U.S. adults with and without evidence of diabetes and to also explore differences across other comorbidity characteristics. Data from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Four hundred seven participants had evidence of diabetes (mean age = 73.4 years), and 1,346 did not have diabetes (mean age = 74.3 years). Results showed that few older adults meet PA guidelines; the majority of their time is spent in sedentary activities; very few engage in more light-intensity PA than sedentary behavior; and older adults with multiple comorbidities engage in less PA and more sedentary behavior than their counterparts. The development and implementation of feasible, effective PA programs for older adults with multiple comorbidities are warranted.

Download Full-text

Associations between objectively measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and time in bed among 75+ community-dwelling Danish older adults

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01856-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Li-Tang Tsai ◽

Eleanor Boyle ◽

Jan C. Brønd ◽

Gry Kock ◽

Mathias Skjødt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Sedentary Behaviour ◽

Sleep Duration ◽

Activity Level ◽

Time In Bed ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Objectively Measured Physical Activity ◽

Vector Magnitude

Abstract Background Older adults are recommended to sleep 7–8 h/day. Time in bed (TIB) differs from sleep duration and includes also the time of lying in bed without sleeping. Long TIB (≥9 h) are associated with self-reported sedentary behavior, but the association between objectively measured physical activity, sedentary behavior and TIB is unknown. Methods This study was based on cross-sectional analysis of the Healthy Ageing Network of Competence (HANC Study). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour were measured by a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph) placed on the dominant wrist for 7 days. Sedentary behavior was classified as < 2303 counts per minute (cpm) in vector magnitude and physical activity intensities were categorized, as 2303–4999 and ≥ 5000 cpm in vector magnitude. TIB was recorded in self-reported diaries. Participants were categorized as UTIB (usually having TIB 7–9 h/night: ≥80% of measurement days), STIB (sometimes having TIB 7–9 h/night: 20–79% of measurement days), and RTIB (rarely having TIB 7–9 h/night: < 20% of measurement days). Multinominal regression models were used to calculate the relative risk ratios (RRR) of being RTIB and STIB by daily levels of physical activity and SB, with UTIB as the reference group. The models were adjusted for age, sex, average daily nap length and physical function. Results Three hundred and fourty-one older adults (median age 81 (IQR 5), 62% women) were included with median TIB of 8 h 21 min (1 h 10 min)/day, physical activity level of 2054 (864) CPM with 64 (15) % of waking hours in sedentary behavior. Those with average CPM within the highest tertile had a lower RRR (0.33 (0.15–0.71), p = 0.005) for being RTIB compared to those within the lowest tertile of average CPM. Accumulating physical activity in intensities 2303–4999 and ≥ 5000 cpm/day did not affect the RRR of being RTIB. RRR of being RTIB among highly sedentary participants (≥10 h/day of sedentary behavior) more than tripled compared to those who were less sedentary (3.21 (1.50–6.88), p = 0.003). Conclusions For older adults, being physically active and less sedentary was associated with being in bed for 7–9 h/night for most nights (≥80%). Future longitudinal studies are warranted to explore the causal relationship sbetween physical activity and sleep duration.

Download Full-text