Accelerometer derived physical activity patterns in 27.890 middle-aged adults: The SCAPIS cohort study.

The present study aims to describe accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA) patterns and fulfillment of PA recommendations in a large sample of middle-aged men and women, and to study differences between subgroups of socio-demographic, socio-economic, and lifestyle-related variables. A total of 27 890 (92.5% of total participants, 52% women, aged 50-64 years) middle-aged men and women with at least four days of valid hip-worn accelerometer data (Actigraph GT3X+, wGT3X+ and wGT3X-BT) from the Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study, SCAPIS, were included. In total, 54.5% of daily wear time was spent sedentary, 39.1% in low, 5.4% in moderate, and only 0.1% in vigorous PA. Male sex, higher education, low financial strain, born in Sweden, and sedentary/light working situation were related to higher sedentary time, but also higher levels of vigorous PA. High BMI and having multiple chronic diseases associated strongly with higher sedentary time and less time in all three PA intensities. All-year physically active commuters had an overall more active PA pattern. The proportion fulfilling current PA recommendations varied substantially (1.4% to 92.2%) depending on data handling procedures and definition used. Twenty-eight percent was defined as having an "at-risk" behavior, which included both high sedentary time and low vigorous PA. In this large population-based sample, a majority of time was spent sedentary and only a fraction in vigorous PA, with clinically important variations between subgroups. This study provides important reference material and emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of the individual PA pattern in future research and clinical practice.

Concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire adapted for adults aged ≥ 80 years (IPAQ-E 80 +) - tested with accelerometer data from the SilverMONICA study.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity and sedentary behavior vary across the life span, and in very old people activity behavior can vary considerably over 24 h. A physical activity questionnaire adapted for this age group is lacking. This study was conducted to validate such a newly developed questionnaire suitable for use in very old people. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the International Physical Activity Questionnaire adapted for adults aged ≥ 80 years (IPAQ-E 80 +) a valid measure of physical activity in very old people? METHODS: Seventy-six participants (55.3% women) with a mean age of 84.4 ± 3.8 years wore accelerometers for ≥ 5 consecutive days, and completed the IPAQ-E 80 +. Spearman's rho and Bland-Altman plots were used to analyze the validity of IPAQ-E 80 + against accelerometer measures. Analyses were conducted for the separate items sitting, laying down at daytime and nighttime, walking, moderate to vigorous (MV) walking, and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and the summary measures: total inactive time, sedentary time (i.e. lying down at daytime + sitting), total active time, and total MVPA + MV walking. RESULTS: The IPAQ-E 80 + correlated with the accelerometer measures of total inactive- (r = 0.55, p < 0.001), sedentary- (r = 0.28, p = 0.015), walking- (r = 0.54 p < 0.001) and total active- (r = 0.60, p < 0.001) times, but not with measures of intensity of walking or physical activity; MV walking (r = 0.06, p = 0.58), MVPA (r = 0.17, p = 0.13). SIGNIFICANCE: In this study the IPAQ-E 80 + showed fair to substantial correlations with accelerometers, and it therefore seems able to rank very old people according to levels of PA (total inactive-, sedentary-, and total active time, and walking time). The IPAQ-E 80 + seems promising for use in studies investigating associations between activity behavior and health in this population. Further investigation is needed to determine whether the IPAQ-E 80 + can accurately measure PA intensity.