Patterns of Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES

We measured the volume and patterns of sedentary behavior (including breaks from sedentary behavior) in a sample of older adults via accelerometry.

METHODS

Inactive, older adults (≥50 years of age) were eligible to participate. A cut point of <100 counts/minute was used to estimate: (1) total volume; (2) > 10-, > 30-, and > 60-minute bouts; and (3) patterns of sedentary behavior according to time of day and day of the week were computed. Total breaks in sedentary time also were calculated.

RESULTS

Participants (N = 67) were sedentary 62% of the day, engaging in 73.3 total bouts of daily sedentary behavior, and each bout lasted, on average, 7.8 minutes. All participants engaged in >1 daily bout of sedentary behavior > 10 and > 30 minutes. Sedentary time was slightly greater during the evening and on weekdays. Participants averaged 72.9 daily breaks from sedentary behavior, with each break lasting approximately 4.4 minutes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings add valuable insights into the patterns of sedentary behaviors among older adults. Concentrated research efforts should be made to gain a clearer understanding of patterns and enablers to sedentary behaviors, which will allow for development of targeted interventions for this high-risk population.