Different Types of Sedentary Activities and Their Association With Perceived Health and Wellness Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the association between a variety of sedentary activities and self-reported wellness outcomes to provide a comprehensive perspective for future development of sedentary guidelines for middle-aged and older adults.

Design: Cross-sectional population study.

Setting: Canadian Community Health Survey (Healthy Aging Cycle, 2008-2009).

Subjects: Middle-aged (45-60 years; n = 8161) and older adults (60 years and older; n = 9128) were used for analysis.

Measures: Self-reported perceived health, sense of belonging to community, mood disorder, and satisfaction with life were used as outcomes. Sedentary activities were playing bingo, computer use, doing crosswords/puzzles, handicrafts, listening to radio/music, playing a musical instrument, reading, visiting others, and watching TV.

Analysis: Chi-squares, t-tests and multivariable logistic regressions.

Results: Among respondents not diagnosed with a mood disorder, positive associations were noted for crosswords/puzzles in older adults (odds ratio [OR]: 1.39, confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.91) and listening to radio/music or playing an instrument in middle-aged adults (OR: 1.43, CI: 1.16-1.75; OR: 2.14, CI: 1.17-3.81). Satisfaction with life was positively associated with computer use in middle-aged (OR: 1.53, CI: 1.07-2.20) and older adults (OR: 1.42, CI: 1.09-1.84). Sense of belonging was consistently positively associated with sedentary activities.

Conclusion: Several sedentary activities were found to be positively associated with self-reported measures of psychosocial wellness in middle-aged and older adults. These findings identify potential opportunities for sedentary time interventions and dual-task physical activity promotion.

Keywords: aging; physical inactivity; prevention research; screen time; sitting time.