Physical Activity Format Does Not Influence Daily Energy Expenditure Or Sleep Quality In Older Adults.

Abstract

PURPOSE: Regular physical activity is known to prevent chronic diseases, improve cognitive function, increase self-efficacy, decrease mortality, and reduce risk of falls in older adults. Sleep quality, quantity, and waking behaviors have been associated with increased quality of life, improved health, and increased overall energy expenditure. Sixty percent of older adults report not participating in regular physical activity or exercise, yet those who are active utilize different programming options (structured and unstructured) to achieve this behavior. We assessed how different activity options impact sleep behaviors, step counts, and perceived quality of life in the older adult population. METHODS: Forty-five older adult volunteers were divided into one of four groups based on their current structure of physical activity participation (Supervised Exercise (SE), Independent Exercise (IE), Active Lifestyle (AL), or Control (C)). Subject group selection was the result of answering “Do you exercise?” If answered “Yes”, then asked “Is it instructed (SE) or independent (IE)?”. If answered “No”, then asked “Do you lead an active lifestyle (AL) or not (C)?” Nine men and 36 women participated, with the following representation per group - SE: 73.9±6.6yrs (n=13), IE: 76.5±6.1yrs (n=13), AL: 79.9±9.6yrs (n=10), C: 69.8±5.8yrs (n=9). Energy expenditure and sleep quality were measured through a wrist worn Fitbit Charge HR for seven days. Perceived health status and sleep quality were assessed with the SF-36 & PSQI, respectively. RESULTS: Groups were not different by height, or weight (p>0.05), but SE and C were found to be younger (p=0.02) than the IE and AL groups. No differences were observed between groups for energy expenditure, sleep quality, or sleep efficiency (p>0.05). The AL group noted lower pain (p= 0.002) and physical functioning (p=0.01) compared to the remaining groups. Trends toward statistical significance between groups were observed with perceived health perception (p= 0.07) and steps (p= 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggests that energy expenditure and sleep quality are not related to structure of physical activity programming with older adults.