Blodgett J, Theou O, Kirkland S, Andreou P, Rockwood K
Maturitas 2015;80:187-91
Publication date: February 1, 2015
Summary
The objective of this study was to examine how high levels of sedentary behavior and low levels of activity are associated with increased frailty and self-reported health, disability and healthcare utilization. On average, people were engaged in about 8.5 hours of sedentary behavior each day. The most frail individuals were more sedentary and less likely to meet weekly activity guidelines (9.57 h/day; 8.3%) than non-frail individuals (8.18 h/day; 1.1%; p<0.001).
Frail individuals failed to demonstrate the patterns of the healthier individuals, i.e. higher levels of sedentary behavior on Sundays and in the evenings and decreasing activity throughout the week. High sedentary behavior and low activity were independently associated with higher levels of frailty, poor self-reported health, high ADL disability and higher healthcare usage.
Many people over the age of 50, and most of those who are frail, were highly sedentary with very few meeting the recommended weekly levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Sedentary behavior and MVPA were independently associated with frailty and adverse health outcomes in middle to older aged adults.
Future research should focus on a longitudinal study to determine the temporal relationship between sedentary behavior and frailty.