Older Adults' Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity After Hip Fracture: Results From an Outpatient Rehabilitation Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Prolonged sedentary time and limited physical activity can result in deleterious effects on health and mobility, especially for older adults with fall-related hip fracture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a multidisciplinary clinic on sedentary behavior and physical activity (prespecified secondary outcomes) and provide descriptions of activity patterns over 1 year for men and women.

METHODS

We conducted a parallel-group, single-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing a multidisciplinary clinic and usual care (intervention) with usual care (control). We recruited 53 community-dwelling older adults aged 65+ years who were 3 to 12 months postfracture and collected data at baseline, 6, and 12 months; study staff were blinded to group allocation. The clinic included a geriatric assessment by the geriatrician, physiotherapist, and occupational therapist. Referrals were made to other professionals, when indicated. We collected the accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity at 3 time points. We used linear mixed-effects models to compare groups at 6 and 12 months and mixed models to compare outcomes between men and women.

RESULTS

Participants were sedentary for more than 10 hours of a 13-hour day, and there were no significant differences between the study groups at 6 months (2.4 [95% confidence interval: -22.4 to 27.2] minutes) or 12 months (-3.7 [95% confidence interval: -33.6 to 26.1] minutes). Compared with women, men spent 47.2 min/d more in sedentary time (P = .052) and 43.8 min/d less in light physical activity (P = .047).

DISCUSSION

Older adults after hip fracture spend prolonged periods of waking hours sedentary with very little activity.