Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jan 18;14(1):e0210861.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210861. eCollection 2019.

Association of objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity with cardiometabolic risk markers in older adults

Thamara Hübler Figueiró  1 , Gabriel Claudino Budal Arins  2 , Carla Elane Silva Dos Santos  2 , Francieli Cembranel  3 , Paulo Adão de Medeiros  1 , Eleonora d'Orsi  3   4 , Cassiano Ricardo Rech  5
Affiliations

Association of objectively measured sedentary behavior and physical activity with cardiometabolic risk markers in older adults

Thamara Hübler Figueiró et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between sedentary behavior and different intensities of physical activity with cardiometabolic risk, and to analyze the simultaneous effect of excess sedentary behavior and recommended levels of physical activity on cardiometabolic risk markers in older adults.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study on a sample of older adults (60+) living in Florianopolis, Brazil. The objectively measured predictors were sedentary time, light physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity, and the outcomes were markers of cardiometabolic risk. Data were considered valid when the participant had used the accelerometer for at least four days per week.

Results: The sample included 425 older adults (59.8% women), with a mean age of 73.9 years (95%CI: 73.5-74.4). Sedentary behavior was associated with lower systolic blood pressure levels (β = -0.03; 95%CI: -0.05; -0.01) and lower HDL cholesterol (β = -0.02; 95%CI: -0.02; -0.01). Light physical activity was not associated with any cardiovascular risk markers after adjustment. Each minute spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity was associated with lower waist circumference (β = -0.15; 95%CI: -0.24; -0.05), systolic blood pressure (β = -0.18; 95%CI: -0.32; -0.04) and plasma glucose (β = -0.18; 95%CI: -0.33;-0.02), and with higher HDL cholesterol (β = 0.10; 95%CI: 0.01; 0.18). Moreover, physically inactive and sedentary individuals had a greater mean waist circumference and lower HDL cholesterol than physically active and non-sedentary subjects.

Conclusion: The results suggest that moderate to vigorous physical activity have a positive impact on cardiometabolic risk markers in older adults. Light physical activity does not appear to have a beneficial effect on the cardiometabolic markers, and despite the benefits provided by the different intensities of physical activity, the simultaneous presence of sedentary behavior and low physical activity level was associated with poor cardiometabolic risk markers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Means values of cardiometabolic variables according to the simultaneity of physical activity and sedentary behavior in Brazilian older adults.
Florianópolis, Brazil, 2015. WC = Waist Circumference; SBP = Systolic Blood Pressure; DBP = Diastolic Blood Pressure; HDL = High density lipoprotein cholesterol. * p < 0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abubakar II, Tillmann T, Banerjee A. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 240 causes of death, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015;385: 117–171. 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61682-2 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. WHO. Global Health Estimates 2015: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000–2015. 2016.
    1. Myint PK, Kwok CS, Luben RN, Wareham NJ, Khaw K- T. Body fat percentage, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio as predictors of mortality and cardiovascular disease. Heart. 2014;100: 1613–1619. 10.1136/heartjnl-2014-305816 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yano Y, Stamler J, Garside DB, Daviglus ML, Franklin SS, Carnethon MR, et al. Isolated Systolic Hypertension in Young and Middle-Aged Adults and 31-Year Risk for Cardiovascular Mortality. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;65: 327–335. 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.10.060 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahmed HM, Miller M, Nasir K, McEvoy JW, Herrington D, Blumenthal RS, et al. Primary Low Level of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Risks of Coronary Heart Disease, Cardiovascular Disease, and Death: Results From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Am J Epidemiol. 2016;183: 875–883. 10.1093/aje/kwv305 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types