Physical Activity Levels Of Malay Older Adults Objectively-Measured Using Triaxial Accelerometer And Its Associated Factors

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Date
2015-01
Authors
ZAINOL ABIDIN, NURDIANA
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Abstract
The aims of this study were to measure the physical activity levels of Malay older adults using triaxial accelerometer, and its associations to health-related quality of life, metabolic syndrome factors and physical capability. This study also examined the feasibility of using the device on the Malay elderly. The study design was cross-sectional involving 146 community-dwelling Malay older adults aged 60 to 85 years old (67.6 (6.4) years). Physical activity (PA) levels were measured using accelerometers (Actigraph GT3X or GT3X+) worn around the hip during waking hours for consecutive 7 days. Health-related quality of life and physical capability were measured using the Short Form-36 Health Status Survey (SF-36®) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test, respectively. Fasting blood samples were collected to determine the glucose levels and lipid profiles. All participants in the study were compliant in wearing the accelerometer for 10 hours or more per day (15.3 (1.3) hours per day) for at least 3 days (6.5 (1.2) days). On average, participants spent 52% of the wear time (7.9 (2.1) hours per day) being sedentary and 24 minutes at a moderate intensity of PA per day. Overall daily activity count was Vector Magnitude 558.5 (223.5) counts per minute and step counts was 12,542 (4,857) steps per day. No difference between the sexes were observed for both variables. For intensity-specific PA, men accumulated significantly more minutes of daily moderate PA compared to women (30 vs 18 min, p<0.05). However, women accumulated significantly more time in daily light intensity PA xix compared to men (7.3 vs 6.5 hours, p<0.05). For the SF-36®, men scored significantly better in physical functioning (p<0.05) and vitality (p<0.05) compared to women and moderate PA showed significant positive association with bodily pain for men (p<0.05). Women were found to have higher systolic BP (p<0.05) and HDL cholesterol level (p<0.001) compared to men and vigorous PA showed significant positive association with systolic BP for both sexes (p<0.05). The score for SPPB indicated mild to moderate functional limitation (7/12) and inverse association was found between light intensity PA and balance score (p<0.05). According to the physical activity counts, the PA level of Malay older adults is low and limited associations found against measured variables. However, the high level of compliancy suggests the feasibility of using the device within local Malay elderly populations.
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Physical Activity Levels Of Malay Older Adults Objectively-Measured Using , Triaxial Accelerometer And Its Associated Factors
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