Association between frailty and the combination of physical activity level and sedentary behavior in older adults

Venicius Dantas Da Silva,Joilson Meneguci,Jeffer Eidi Sasaki,José Ailton Oliveira Carneiro,Jair Sindra Virtuoso,Sheilla Tribess,Cíntia Aparecida Garcia-Meneguci

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7062-0

Venicius Dantas Da Silva, Joilson Meneguci + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7062-0

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Abstract

BackgroundThe combined association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with adverse health factors is not yet clear in the literature. A combined analysis of physical activity level and sedentary behavior may provide evidence of the interrelation between these behavioral variables and the frailty syndrome. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity level, sedentary behavior and frailty in older adults.MethodsIn this study, we evaluated 457 older adults (age range = 60 to 96 years old) from the Longitudinal Study of the Elderly Health of Alcobaça, Bahia. The frailty condition was defined by the presence of three or more of the following criteria: unintentional weight loss, slow walking speed measured over a 4.57 m test, a reduction of manual grip strength and exhaustion. Based upon these criteria, participants were classified as non-frail or frail. Physical activity level and time spent in sedentary behavior were assessed with the International Questionnaire of Physical Activity. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample. To examine the combined association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with frailty, chi-square and Poisson regression tests were used. Statistical significance was defined as p ≤ 0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of frailty was 8.8% (n = 40), with higher prevalence observed with increasing age. Low physical activity level combined with excessive time spent in sedentary behavior (physical activity level < 150 min/wk. and sedentary behavior ≥540 min/day) was associated with frailty, resulting in a prevalence ratio of 2.83 (95% CI, 1.23 to 6.52).ConclusionFrailty is more prevalent among older adults who exhibit insufficient levels of physical activity combined with a great amount of time spent in sedentary behavior, even when adjusted for sociodemographic factors.

Highlights

The combined association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with adverse health factors is not yet clear in the literature
Of the 743 older adults individuals enrolled in Brazil’s Family Health Strategy in Alcobaça, 54 individuals refused to participate in the survey, 58 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, 158 were not located and 16 did not provide information on all the study variables
Regarding physical activity level combined with sedentary behavior, frailty was more frequent (50%, n = 20) in the insufficiently active and excessive sedentary behavior category (< 150 min/week and ≥ 540 min/day)

Summary

Introduction

The combined association of physical activity and sedentary behavior with adverse health factors is not yet clear in the literature. Physical activity levels have been decreasing over time as a result of the increasing use of technology in society, and this decrease is considered a worldwide pandemic [10, 11]. This fact is of major concern in older adults, as they more. Insufficient physical activity is related to increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes and, to higher probability for frailty in older adults [13, 14]

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