Association between accelerometry measured patterns of sedentary behaviors and functional status in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Older adults are highly sedentary, and too much sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with negative health effects, but little is known about SB patterns and their associations with functional status. AIMS: To examine the association between objectively measured sedentary behavior time (SBT) and sedentary behavior fragmentation (SBF) and functional status in older adults using the National Health Aging Trends Study (NHATS) dataset, a nationally representative sample from 2021. METHODS: Data from NHATS were analyzed using weighted linear regressions to examine the association between objective measures of SBT (mean hours spent in SB/day during waking hours) and SBF, and six functional variables (difficulties with activities of daily living [ADL], short physical performance battery, hand grip strength, immediate word recall, delayed word recall, and mental health), accounting for sociodemographic, body mass index, and the number of chronic conditions. RESULTS: A total of 738 individuals from the NHATS were included. Higher SBT was associated with greater difficulties with ADL, poorer short physical performance battery and hand grip strength, lower scores in both immediate and delayed word recall, and poorer mental health. Higher SBF was associated with fewer difficulties with ADL, better short physical performance battery and hand grip strength, a higher score in immediate word recall, and better mental health. DISCUSSIONAND CONCLUSIONS: Greater fragmentation of SB was associated with better function, and increasing SBF may be a useful strategy for mitigating the effects of SB in older adults, but prospective research is needed to support this approach.

Risk factors for inpatient facility admission among home health care patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Home health care (HHC) patients with diabetes are at high risk for inpatient admissions. PURPOSE: To identify variables associated with inpatient admissions among adults age ≥50 with diabetes receiving HHC in the community and in assisted living (AL). METHODS: Retrospective HHC data (collected October 2021 to March 2022 in the Southern United States) from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set D were analyzed with logistic regression (n = 5,308 patients). DISCUSSION: The inpatient admission rate was 29.5%. For community-dwelling patients, multiple hospitalizations, depression, limited cognitive function, decreased activities of daily living (ADL) performance, and unhealed pressure ulcer or injury ≥stage 2 were significantly associated with inpatient admission. For those in AL, multiple prior hospitalizations and decreased ability to perform ADLs were associated with inpatient admission. CONCLUSION: Understanding risk factors for inpatient admissions among patients with diabetes can support the identification of at-risk patients and inform interventions.

Prolonged bouts of sedentary behavior in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Increased sedentary behavior (SB), especially in prolonged bouts, is associated with adverse health outcomes, but little is known about patterns of SB in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to describe SB and patterns of SB and to examine factors associated with prolonged bouts of SB in inactive community-dwelling adults with COPD. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis used data from inactive adults with COPD who were enrolled in an exercise program but had not started exercising. Participants were ≥ 50 years old with a diagnosis of COPD, had a forced expiratory volume in one second < 80% predicted, and were inactive. Participants wore an activPAL device for seven days to measure their SB and completed surveys and physical measures. Data were analyzed with multiple regression. RESULTS: The sample included 160 participants with a mean age (± SD) of 69 ± 8, and a mean total sedentary time of 742 ± 150 min/day, with 254 ± 146 min/day in SB bouts ≥ 60 min. DURATION: Time spent in bouts of SB ≥ 60-min. was negatively associated with self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to light physical activity (P<0.05), balance (P<0.05), chair stand test (P<0.05), FEV1% predicted (P<0.05) and positively associated with BMI (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Inactive people with COPD engage in extensive SB, much of it in prolonged bouts. Self-efficacy, balance, and lower body strength are modifiable variables associated with SB and potential targets for future interventions to reduce time in prolonged sedentary behavior.