Abstract
BackgroundA wide range of environmental factors have been related to active ageing, but few studies have explored the impact of weather and day length on physical activity in older adults. We investigate the cross-sectional association between weather conditions, day length and activity in older adults using a population-based cohort in England, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk study.MethodsPhysical activity was measured objectively over 7 days using an accelerometer and this was used to calculate daily total physical activity (counts per minute), daily minutes of sedentary behaviour and light, moderate and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA). Day length and two types of weather conditions, precipitation and temperature, were obtained from a local weather station. The association between these variables and physical activity was examined by multilevel first-order autoregressive modelling.ResultsAfter adjusting for individual factors, short day length and poor weather conditions, including high precipitation and low temperatures, were associated with up to 10% lower average physical activity (p<0.01) and 8 minutes less time spent in LMVPA but 15 minutes more sedentary time, compared to the best conditions.ConclusionDay length and weather conditions appear to be an important factor related to active ageing. Future work should focus on developing potential interventions to reduce their impact on physical activity behaviours in older adults.
Highlights
There has been particular interest in the potential for the environment to support active ageing, the process of optimising opportunities for health and well-being as individuals grow older [1]
After adjusting for individual factors, short day length and poor weather conditions, including high precipitation and low temperatures, were associated with up to 10% lower average physical activity (p
Day length and weather conditions appear to be an important factor related to active ageing
Summary
There has been particular interest in the potential for the environment to support active ageing, the process of optimising opportunities for health and well-being as individuals grow older [1]. A wide range of environmental factors have been related to physical activity in older adults [2,3]. Other environmental conditions that are out of direct control of planners, such as weather conditions and day length, may interact with features of these environments to influence individual activity levels [5] and might have an impact on active ageing [6]. A wide range of environmental factors have been related to active ageing, but few studies have explored the impact of weather and day length on physical activity in older adults. We investigate the cross-sectional association between weather conditions, day length and activity in older adults using a population-based cohort in England, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk study
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