Device-measured physical activity and cardiometabolic health: the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep (ProPASS) consortium.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour (SB), and inadequate sleep are key behavioural risk factors of cardiometabolic diseases. Each behaviour is mainly considered in isolation, despite clear behavioural and biological interdependencies. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of five-part movement compositions with adiposity and cardiometabolic biomarkers. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from six studies (n = 15 253 participants; five countries) from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium were analysed. Device-measured time spent in sleep, SB, standing, light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) made up the composition. Outcomes included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, HDL cholesterol, total:HDL cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Compositional linear regression examined associations between compositions and outcomes, including modelling time reallocation between behaviours. RESULTS: The average daily composition of the sample (age: 53.7 ± 9.7 years; 54.7% female) was 7.7 h sleeping, 10.4 h sedentary, 3.1 h standing, 1.5 h LIPA, and 1.3 h MVPA. A greater MVPA proportion and smaller SB proportion were associated with better outcomes. Reallocating time from SB, standing, LIPA, or sleep into MVPA resulted in better scores across all outcomes. For example, replacing 30 min of SB, sleep, standing, or LIPA with MVPA was associated with -0.63 (95% confidence interval -0.48, -0.79), -0.43 (-0.25, -0.59), -0.40 (-0.25, -0.56), and -0.15 (0.05, -0.34) kg/m2 lower BMI, respectively. Greater relative standing time was beneficial, whereas sleep had a detrimental association when replacing LIPA/MVPA and positive association when replacing SB. The minimal displacement of any behaviour into MVPA for improved cardiometabolic health ranged from 3.8 (HbA1c) to 12.7 (triglycerides) min/day. CONCLUSIONS: Compositional data analyses revealed a distinct hierarchy of behaviours. Moderate-vigorous physical activity demonstrated the strongest, most time-efficient protective associations with cardiometabolic outcomes. Theoretical benefits from reallocating SB into sleep, standing, or LIPA required substantial changes in daily activity.

Relationship of device measured physical activity type and posture with cardiometabolic health markers: pooled dose-response associations from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep Consortium.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to examine the dose-response associations of device-measured physical activity types and postures (sitting and standing time) with cardiometabolic health. METHODS: We conducted an individual participant harmonised meta-analysis of 12,095 adults (mean ± SD age 54.5±9.6 years; female participants 54.8%) from six cohorts with thigh-worn accelerometry data from the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep (ProPASS) Consortium. Associations of daily walking, stair climbing, running, standing and sitting time with a composite cardiometabolic health score (based on standardised z scores) and individual cardiometabolic markers (BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, HbA1c and total cholesterol) were examined cross-sectionally using generalised linear modelling and cubic splines. RESULTS: We observed more favourable composite cardiometabolic health (i.e. z score <0) with approximately 64 min/day walking (z score [95% CI] -0.14 [-0.25, -0.02]) and 5 min/day stair climbing (-0.14 [-0.24, -0.03]). We observed an equivalent magnitude of association at 2.6 h/day standing. Any amount of running was associated with better composite cardiometabolic health. We did not observe an upper limit to the magnitude of the dose-response associations for any activity type or standing. There was an inverse dose-response association between sitting time and composite cardiometabolic health that became markedly less favourable when daily durations exceeded 12.1 h/day. Associations for sitting time were no longer significant after excluding participants with prevalent CVD or medication use. The dose-response pattern was generally consistent between activity and posture types and individual cardiometabolic health markers. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In this first activity type-specific analysis of device-based physical activity, ~64 min/day of walking and ~5.0 min/day of stair climbing were associated with a favourable cardiometabolic risk profile. The deleterious associations of sitting time were fully attenuated after exclusion of participants with prevalent CVD and medication use. Our findings on cardiometabolic health and durations of different activities of daily living and posture may guide future interventions involving lifestyle modification.

Modifications of 24-h movement behaviors to prevent obesity in retirement: a natural experiment using compositional data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Retirement often leads to a more passive lifestyle and may therefore lead to weight gain. This study aims to investigate longitudinal associations between changes in 24-h movement behaviors and BMI and waist circumference in relation to the transition from work to retirement. METHODS: The study population included 213 retiring public sector workers (mean age 63.5 years, standard deviation 1.1) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. Before and after retirement participants wore an Axivity accelerometer on their thigh and filled in a daily log for at least four days to measure daily time spent sleeping, in sedentary behavior (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Also, their body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were measured repeatedly. Compositional linear regression analysis and isotemporal substitution analysis were used to study associations between one-year changes in 24-h movement behaviors and concurrent changes in BMI and waist circumference. RESULTS: An increase in MVPA in relation to sleep, SED and LPA was associated with a decreasing BMI (ß = -0.60, p = 0.04) and waist circumference (ß = -2.14, p = 0.05) over one year from before retirement to after retirement. In contrast, increasing sleep in relation to SED, LPA and MVPA was associated with an increasing BMI (ß = 1.34, p = 0.02). Reallocating 60 min from MVPA to SED or sleep was estimated to increase BMI by on average 0.8-0.9 kg/m2 and waist circumference by 3.0 cm during one year. CONCLUSIONS: During the transition from work to retirement, increasing MVPA was associated with a slight decrease in BMI and waist circumference, whereas increasing sleep was associated with an increasing BMI. Common life transitions, like retirement, should be considered when giving recommendations and guidance for physical activity and sleep.

Weekday and weekend physical activity patterns and their correlates among young adults.

BACKGROUND: Accelerometers enable assessment of within and between day variation in physical activity. The main aim was to examine weekday and weekend physical activity patterns among young adults. Additionally, correlates of the physical activity patterns were examined. METHODS: Overall 325 adults (mean age 26.0 years, standard deviation 0.03) from the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project used a wrist-worn ActiGraph accelerometer continuously for 1 week. Physical activity patterns over weekdays and weekends were identified by using the group-based trajectory modeling. Adolescent leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and sociodemographic characteristics (sex, marital and family status, education, work status, occupation, and health consciousness) were examined as possible correlates of physical activity patterns using multinomial regression analysis. RESULTS: Five patterns were identified: consistently low activity (45%), active on weekday evenings and weekends (32%), consistently moderate activity (11%), active on weekdays (7%), and consistently high activity (5%). Low adolescent LTPA was associated with consistently low activity pattern in young adulthood. Women were more likely than men to belong in the more physically active groups (all other groups except active on weekdays, odds ratios between 2.26 and 6.17). Those in the active on weekdays group had lower education, were more often in the working life and in manual occupations than those in the consistently low activity group. CONCLUSIONS: Marked heterogeneity in physical activity patterns across the week was observed among young adults. Especially history of physical activity, sex, education, work status, and occupation were associated with different physical activity patterns.

Changes in the 24-h movement behaviors during the transition to retirement: compositional data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Transition to retirement is shown to affect sleep, sedentary time and physical activity, but no previous studies have examined how retirement changes the distribution of time spent daily in these movement behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine longitudinally how the composition of 24-h movement behaviors changes during the transition to retirement using compositional data analysis (CoDA). METHODS: We included 551 retiring public sector workers (mean age 63.2 years, standard deviation 1.1) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. The study participants wore a wrist-worn ActiGraph accelerometer for one week 24 h per day before and after retirement, with one year between the measurements. The daily proportions to time spent sleeping, in sedentary behavior (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were estimated using the GGIR package. Changes in the daily proportions of movement behaviors were examined using Compositional Data Analysis version of linear mixed models. RESULTS: In general, the proportion of time spent in active behaviors decreased relative to time spent in passive behaviors after retirement (p < .001). This change depended on occupation (occupation*time interaction p < .001). After retirement manual workers increased the proportions of both sleep and SED in relation to active behaviors, whereas non-manual workers increased the proportion of sleep in relation to active behaviors and SED. The proportion of MVPA decreased relatively more than the proportion of LPA (p = 0.01), independently of gender and occupation. CONCLUSIONS: Retirement induced a decrease in the proportion of time spent in active behaviors, especially time spent in MVPA. Future studies are needed to find ways to maintain or increase daily physical activity levels at the cost of sedentary behaviors among retirees.

Comparison of Oura Smart Ring Against ActiGraph Accelerometer for Measurement of Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in a Free-Living Context.

Smart rings, such as the Oura ring, might have potential in health monitoring. To be able to identify optimal devices for healthcare settings, validity studies are needed. The aim of this study was to compare the Oura smart ring estimates of steps and sedentary time with data from the ActiGraph accelerometer in a free-living context. A cross-sectional observational study design was used. A convenience sample of healthy adults (n = 42) participated in the study and wore an Oura smart ring and an ActiGraph accelerometer on the non-dominant hand continuously for 1 week. The participants completed a background questionnaire and filled out a daily log about their sleeping times and times when they did not wear the devices. The median age of the participants (n = 42) was 32 years (range, 18-46 years). In total, 191 (61% of the potential) days were compared. The Oura ring overestimated the step counts compared with the ActiGraph. The mean difference was 1416 steps (95% confidence interval, 739-2093 steps). Daily sedentary time was also overestimated by the ring; the mean difference was 17 minutes (95% confidence interval, -2 to 37 minutes). The use of the ring in nursing interventions needs to be considered.

Changes in prolonged sedentary behaviour across the transition to retirement.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged sedentary behaviour is associated with a higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases. This longitudinal study examined changes in daily total, prolonged (≥30 min) and highly prolonged (≥60 min) sedentary time across the transition to retirement by gender and occupational status. METHODS: We included 689 aging workers (mean (SD) age before retirement 63.2 (1.6) years, 85% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study (FIREA). Sedentary time was measured annually using a wrist-worn triaxial ActiGraph accelerometer before and after retirement with on average 3.4 (range 2-4) measurement points. RESULTS: Women increased daily total sedentary time by 22 min (95% CI 13 to 31), prolonged sedentary time by 34 min (95% CI 27 to 42) and highly prolonged sedentary time by 15 min (95% CI 11 to 20) in the transition to retirement, and remained at the higher level of sedentary time years after retirement. The highest increase in total and prolonged sedentary time was observed among women retiring from manual occupations. Men had more total and prolonged sedentary time compared with women before and after retirement. Although no changes in men's sedentary time were observed during the retirement transition, there was a gradual increase of 33 min (95% CI 6 to 60) in prolonged sedentary time from pre-retirement years to post-retirement years. CONCLUSION: The transition to retirement was accompanied by an abrupt increase in prolonged sedentary time in women but a more gradual increase in men. The retirement transition may be a suitable time period for interventions aiming to decrease sedentary behaviour.

Changes in Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Time Across Retirement Transition as a Predictor of Self-Rated Health.

BACKGROUND: Retirement transition has been shown to associate with changes in physical activity (PA) and self-rated health (SRH), but their interrelationship is less studied. The aim was to investigate changes in accelerometer-measured total PA, moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and sedentary time across retirement transition as a predictor of SRH. METHODS: Data from the Swedish Retirement Study and the Finnish Retirement and Aging study were harmonized and pooled. Data from 3 waves (about 12 mo apart) were included: 1 preretirement (wave 1) and 2 postretirement follow-ups (wave 2-3). A totally of 245 participants (27% men) were included. Thigh-worn accelerometers were used to collect data for PA variables (wave 1-2), and SRH was obtained from the questionnaire (wave 1-3). RESULTS: Between wave 1 and 2, total PA decreased with 11 (CI, -22 to -1) minutes per day, MVPA was stable (0 [CI, -3 to 3] min), and sedentary time decreased nonsignificantly with 9 (CI, -20 to 1) minutes. SRH changed between all 3 waves (all P < .001). At preretirement, 10 more minutes of MVPA was associated with greater odds of better SRH when adjusting for accelerometer wear-time, cohort, sex, age, and occupational status (odds ratio: 1.11 [95% CI, 1.02-1.22]). This association was no longer statistically significant when additionally adjusting for marital status, body mass index, and smoking. No significant associations were observed between changes in the PA variables during retirement transition and SRH at postretirement follow-ups. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a cross-sectional association between MVPA and greater odds of reporting better SRH before retirement. No longitudinal associations were observed between changes in the PA variables from before to after retirement and later changes in SRH.

Longitudinal Associations between 24-h Movement Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers: A Natural Experiment over Retirement.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep, that is, 24-h movement behaviors, often change in the transition from work to retirement, which may affect cardiometabolic health. This study investigates the longitudinal associations between changes in 24-h movement behaviors and cardiometabolic biomarkers during the retirement transition. METHODS: Retiring public sector workers ( n = 212; mean (SD) age, 63.5 (1.1) yr) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study used a thigh-worn Axivity accelerometer and filled out a diary to obtain data on daily time spent in sedentary behavior (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sleep before and after retirement (1 yr in-between). Cardiometabolic biomarkers, including LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, total/HDL-cholesterol ratio, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fasting glucose, and insulin, were measured. Associations between changes in 24-h movement behaviors and cardiometabolic biomarkers were analyzed using compositional robust regression and isotemporal substitution analysis. RESULTS: Increasing LPA in relation to remaining behaviors was associated with an increase in HDL-cholesterol and decrease in total/HDL-cholesterol ratio ( P < 0.05 for both). For instance, reallocation of 30 min from sleep/SED to LPA was associated with an increase in HDL-cholesterol by 0.02 mmol·L -1 . Moreover, increasing MVPA in relation to remaining behaviors was associated with a decrease in triglycerides ( P = 0.02). Reallocation of 30 min from SED/sleep to MVPA was associated with 0.07-0.08 mmol·L -1 decrease in triglycerides. Findings related to LDL-cholesterol, C-reactive protein, fasting glucose, and insulin were less conclusive. CONCLUSIONS: During the transition from work to retirement, increasing physical activity at the expense of passive behaviors was associated with a better lipid profile. Our findings suggest that life transitions like retirement could be utilized more as an optimal time window for promoting physical activity and health.

Changes in ambulatory blood pressure during the transition to retirement.

OBJECTIVES: Retirement is a major life event characterized by removal of work-related stressors and changes in health behaviours. The association between retirement and changes in blood pressure (BP), and particularly in ambulatory BP, has been scarcely studied. We aimed to examine changes in ambulatory BP during retirement transition. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty ageing workers (mean age 63.2 years, 84% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study participated in annual office BP measurements and 114 (mean age 63.1, 90% women) of them underwent annual ambulatory BP measurements before and after retirement. On average, the participants provided data on ambulatory BP at 2.7 (range 2-4) measurements. We used generalized linear models to examine BP changes at retirement. RESULTS: Most marked changes in BP during the follow-up were observed for asleep SBP, which decreased before retirement, increased during retirement transition and plateaued after retirement (before retirement vs. retirement transition P  = 0.07 and after retirement vs. retirement transition P  = 0.02). Awake SBP and 24-h SBP declined with most apparent decrease before retirement (before retirement vs. retirement transition P  = 0.07 and P  = 0.07). Awake DBP and 24-h DBP showed relatively consistent decline throughout the follow-up with no differences between the time periods. SBP and DBP dipping reduced before and during retirement transition, but not after retirement. Among shift workers, asleep BP increased and BP dipping decreased more than in regular day workers. CONCLUSION: Retirement was found to associate with beneficial changes in awake BP but unfavourable changes in asleep BP, especially in shift workers.

Finnish Retirement and Aging Study: a prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: The Finnish Retirement and Aging (FIREA) Study was set up to study changes in health behavioural and cardiometabolic risk factors across retirement transition, and to examine the long-term consequences of work and retirement on health and functioning with advancing age. PARTICIPANTS: Public sector workers whose estimated statutory retirement date was in 2014-2019 were invited to participate by sending them a questionnaire 18 months prior to their estimated retirement date. In the first phase of the FIREA Study, participants were followed up with annual surveys, accelerometer and clinical measurements during retirement transition into post-retirement years. The FIREA survey cohort includes 6783 participants, of which 908 belong also to the activity substudy and 290 to the clinical substudy. FINDINGS TO DATE: Collected data include survey measures about health, lifestyle factors, psychosocial distress, work-related factors as well as retirement intentions. Accelerometer and GPS devices are used to measure 24-hour movement behaviours. Clinical examination includes blood and hair sample, measurements of anthropometry, cardiovascular function, physical fitness, physical and cognitive function. Our results suggest that in general retirement transition seems to have beneficial influence on health behaviours as well as on physical and mental health, but there are large individual differences, and certain behaviours such as sedentariness tend to increase especially among those retiring from manual occupations. FUTURE PLANS: The second phase of the FIREA Study will be conducted during 2023-2025, when participants are 70 years old. The FIREA Study welcomes research collaboration proposals that fall within the general aims of the project.

Association of Sit-to-Stand Capacity and Free-Living Performance Using Thigh-Worn Accelerometers among 60- to 90-Yr-Old Adults.

PURPOSE: Five times sit-to-stand (STS) test is commonly used as a clinical assessment of lower-extremity functional ability, but its association with free-living performance has not been studied. Therefore, we investigated the association between laboratory-based STS capacity and free-living STS performance using accelerometry. The results were stratified according to age and functional ability groups. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 497 participants (63% women) 60-90 yr old from three independent studies. A thigh-worn triaxial accelerometer was used to estimate angular velocity in maximal laboratory-based STS capacity and in free-living STS transitions over 3-7 d of continuous monitoring. Functional ability was assessed with short physical performance battery. RESULTS: Laboratory-based STS capacity was moderately associated with the free-living mean and maximal STS performance ( r = 0.52-0.65, P < 0.01). Angular velocity was lower in older compared with younger and in low- versus high-functioning groups, in both capacity and free-living STS variables (all P < 0.05). Overall, angular velocity was higher in capacity compared with free-living STS performance. The STS reserve (test capacity - free-living maximal performance) was larger in younger and in high-functioning groups compared with older and low-functioning groups (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Laboratory-based STS capacity and free-living performance were found to be associated. However, capacity and performance are not interchangeable but rather provide complementary information. Older and low-functioning individuals seemed to perform free-living STS movements at a higher percentage of their maximal capacity compared with younger and high-functioning individuals. Therefore, we postulate that low capacity may limit free-living performance.

Effects of physical activity intervention on 24-h movement behaviors: a compositional data analysis.

We utilized compositional data analysis (CoDA) to study changes in the composition of the 24-h movement behaviors during an activity tracker based physical activity intervention. A total of 231 recently retired Finnish retirees were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention participants were requested to use a commercial activity tracker bracelet with daily activity goal and inactivity alerts for 12 months. The controls received no intervention. The 24-h movement behaviors, i.e., sleep, sedentary time (SED), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were estimated from wrist-worn ActiGraph data using the GGIR R-package. Three balance coordinates describing the composition of movement behaviors were applied: ratio of active vs. passive behaviors, LPA vs. MVPA, and sleep vs. SED. A linear mixed model was used to study changes between the baseline and 6-month time point. Overall, the changes in the 24-h movement behaviors were small and did not differ between the groups. Only the ratio of LPA to MVPA tended to change differently between the groups (group*time interaction p = 0.08) as the intervention group increased LPA similarly to controls but decreased their MVPA. In conclusion, the use of a commercial activity tracker may not be enough to induce changes in the 24-h movement behaviors among retirees.

The Effect of a Consumer-Based Activity Tracker Intervention on Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary Time Among Retirees: A Randomized Controlled REACT Trial.

BACKGROUND: Effective strategies to reverse the increasing trend of sedentary behavior after retirement are needed. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of 12-month activity tracker-based intervention on daily total and prolonged sedentary time (≥60 minutes) among recent retirees. METHODS: Randomization to intervention and control groups was performed to 231 retirees (mean age 65.2 [SD 1.1] years, 83% women). Intervention participants wore a consumer-based wrist-worn activity tracker (Polar Loop 2, Polar, Kempele, Finland), including daily activity goal, every day and night for 12 months. The activity tracker also gave vibrating reminders to break up uninterrupted inactivity periods after 55 minutes. A wrist-worn triaxial ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer was used to measure sedentary time at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month time points. RESULTS: The use of an activity tracker did not reduce daily total or prolonged sedentary time over 12 months (p values for time * group interaction 0.39 and 0.27, respectively). In the post hoc analysis focusing on short- and medium-term effects on prolonged sedentary time, no differences between the intervention and control groups over 3 months were found, but a tendency for a greater decrease in prolonged sedentary time in the intervention group over 6 months was seen (mean difference in changes between the groups 29 minutes, 95% CI -2 to 61). CONCLUSIONS: The activity tracker with inactivity alerts did not elicit changes in sedentary time over 12 months among recent retirees. Alternative approaches may be needed to achieve long-term changes in sedentary time among retirees. Clinical Trials registration Number: NCT03320746.

Work ability and physical fitness among aging workers: the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study.

Background: With advancing age, physical capacity gradually decreases which may lead to decreased work ability, if the physical work requirements remain the same. Examination of the importance of physical fitness for work ability among aging workers will help to find potential strategies to promote work ability in old age. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between physical fitness and work ability among aging workers. Methods: Aging workers (n = 288, mean age 62.5, 83% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study underwent cardiorespiratory, muscular fitness and functional testing. Work ability was inquired on a scale 0-10 from poor to excellent. Association between physical fitness indicators and work ability was examined using ordinary least squares regression, taking into account age, gender, occupational status, heavy physical work, body mass index and accelerometer-measured daily total physical activity. Results: VO2peak, modified push-up test and maximal walking speed were positively associated with work ability (ß = 0.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.29-0.74, ß = 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.66 and ß = 0.23, 95% CI 0.07-0.39, respectively), while chair rise test time was inversely associated with work ability (ß = -0.23, 95% CI -0.39--0.06). No associations were found between hand grip strength or sit-up test and work ability. Conclusions: Cardiorespiratory fitness, upper body strength, and lower extremity function were positively associated with work ability. Good physical fitness may help to maintain work ability among aging workers. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-022-00714-1.

The Effect of Commercial Activity Tracker Based Physical Activity Intervention on Body Composition and Cardiometabolic Health Among Recent Retirees.

The REACT is a commercial activity tracker based intervention, which primarily aimed to increase physical activity. This study examines the secondary outcomes of the physical activity intervention on body composition and cardiometabolic health indicators. Overall 231 recently retired Finnish men and women [65.2 (SD 1.1) years, 83% women] took part to the study. The participants were randomized into intervention (n = 117) and control (n = 114) groups. The intervention group members used a commercial activity tracker (Polar Loop 2, Polar, Kempele, Finland) with a daily activity goal and inactivity alerts every day for 12 months. Controls received no intervention. Secondary health outcomes included body weight, fat mass, fat free mass, waist circumference, blood pressure, indicators of glucose and lipid metabolisms, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and they were measured at baseline and at 12-months end point. Hierarchical linear mixed models were used to examine the differences between the groups over time, and no differences in the mean changes of the body composition and cardiometabolic health indicators between the groups were found (group*time interaction >0.20 for all measures). Fat free mass, waist circumference, blood pressure, and low density lipoprotein levels decreased in both groups over the 12 months. These findings state that 1-year daily use of commercial activity tracker does not induce different cardiometabolic health effects when compared to the non-user controls among general population of recent retirees.

The Impact of a 12-Month Activity Tracker Intervention on Activity Behavior Across Body Mass Index Subgroups Among Recent Retirees: Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effectiveness of a 12-month activity tracker-based intervention on activity behavior among recent retirees (Enhancing physical ACTivity and healthy aging among recent REtirees [REACT]) in subgroups based on body mass index. METHODS: REACT trial randomized 231 participants (mean age 65.2) into intervention and control groups. Main outcomes were accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) and light physical activity (LPA) and sedentary time (SED) measured at baseline and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. As a post hoc analysis, the intervention effect was examined among participants with normal weight (n = 77), overweight (n = 89), and obesity (n = 61). RESULTS: An intervention effect was observed among participants with obesity in LPA (time × group P = .045) mirrored by a similar, albeit nonsignificant, effect in SED (P = .067), but not in MVPA (P = .92). A transient increase of 41 minutes per day (95% confidence interval, 14 to 68) in LPA was observed at 6 months among the intervention group, with a concomitant decrease of 42 minutes per day (-72 to -12) in SED. However, these changes were not maintained at 12 months. No between-group differences in changes over time were observed among participants with normal or overweight. CONCLUSIONS: Activity trackers may be particularly suitable for promoting changes in LPA and SED among older adults with obesity. However, their long-term effectiveness might be limited.

The Effect of Consumer-based Activity Tracker Intervention on Physical Activity among Recent Retirees-An RCT Study.

PURPOSE: The randomized controlled trial REACT (NCT03320746) examined the effect of a 12-month consumer-based activity tracker intervention on accelerometer-measured physical activity among recent retirees. METHODS: Altogether 231 recently retired Finnish adults (age, 65.2 ± 1.1 yr, mean ± SD; 83% women) were randomized to intervention and control groups. Intervention participants were requested to wear a commercial wrist-worn activity tracker (Polar Loop 2; Polar, Kempele, Finland) for 12 months, to try to reach the daily activity goals shown on the tracker display, and to upload their activity data to a Web-based program every week. The control group received no intervention. Accelerometer-based outcome measurements of daily total, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate to vigorous (MVPA) physical activity were conducted at baseline and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month time points. Hierarchical linear mixed models were used to examine the differences between the groups over time. All analyses were performed by intention-to-treat principle and adjusted for wake wear time. RESULTS: The use of a commercial activity tracker did not increase daily total activity, LPA, or MVPA over the 12-months period when compared with nonuser controls (group-time interaction, P = 0.39, 0.23, and 0.77, respectively). There was an increase in LPA over the first 6 months in both the intervention (26 min·d-1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 13 to 39) and the control (14 min·d-1, 95% CI = 1 to 27) groups, but the difference between the groups was not significant (12 min·d-1, 95% CI = -6 to 30). In both groups, LPA decreased from 6 to 12 months. CONCLUSION: The 12-month use of a commercial activity tracker does not appear to elicit significant changes in the daily total activity among a general population sample of recent retirees, thus highlighting the need to explore other alternatives to increase physical activity in this target group.

Objectively Measured Sedentary Time Before and After Transition to Retirement: The Finnish Retirement and Aging Study.

BACKGROUND: Retirement is associated with an increase in self-reported daily sedentary time, but no longitudinal evidence exists on how objectively measured sedentary time changes during retirement transition. The aim of this study was to compare objectively measured daily and hourly sedentary time before and after retirement and examine whether these changes differ by gender and occupational status. METHODS: The study population consisted of 478 participants (mean age 63.2 years, standard deviation 1.7, 85% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging Study. Sedentary time was measured using a wrist-worn triaxial ActiGraph accelerometer before and after transition to retirement with 1 year interval. Preretirement occupational status was categorized as manual and non-manual. RESULTS: Daily sedentary time was 8 hours 10 minutes in women and 9 hours 49 minutes in men before retirement. Considering all measurement days before and after retirement, daily sedentary time increased in women by 29 minutes (95% confidence interval [CI]: 20 to 38). Especially women retiring from manual occupations showed marked increase in sedentary time (63 minutes, 95% CI: 50 to 77). When only non-working days before retirement were considered, increase in daily sedentary time among women was less marked (16 minutes, 95% CI: 7 to 25). Among men, daily sedentary time did not change in retirement transition (-7 minutes, 95% CI: -26 to 12). CONCLUSIONS: Objectively measured sedentary time increases among women and remains at high level among men during the retirement transition. Attention should be paid to reduce daily sedentary time in retiring women and men.

Physical Activity across Retirement Transition by Occupation and Mode of Commute.

PURPOSE: Retirement induces changes in the composition of daily physical activity. Our aim was to examine changes in accelerometer-measured physical activity around transition to statutory retirement among men and women by occupational category and by preretirement modes of commuting. METHODS: We included 562 workers (mean [SD] age, 63.3 [1.1] yr; 85% women) from the Finnish Retirement and Aging study. The participants wore an accelerometer on their nondominant wrist for 1 wk before and 1 wk after retirement, with 1 yr between the measurements. We compared mean daily activity counts before and after retirement between manual and nonmanual occupations by gender and by preretirement commuting mode using linear models with generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Before retirement, women were more active than men (2550 (95% confidence interval, 2500-2590) vs 2060 (1970-2140) mean daily activity counts), with the most active group being women in manual occupations. After retirement, physical activity decreased by 3.9% among women and increased, albeit nonsignificantly, by 3.1% in men. The decrease was most pronounced among women in manual and increase among men in nonmanual occupations. After retirement, women remained more active than men (2450 (95% confidence interval 2390-2500) vs 2120 (2010-2230) counts). Active commuting, especially cycling, before retirement was associated with higher physical activity both before and after retirement, and these people also maintained their total activity lever better than did those who commuted by public transportation. CONCLUSIONS: Although women in manual occupations decreased and men in nonmanual occupations increased their activity after retirement, women were more active than men both before and after retirement. Those who engaged in active commuting before retirement maintained their activity level also after retirement.