Association between physical activity and all-cause mortality: A 15-year follow-up using a compositional data analysis

Associations of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time with all-cause mortality in Japanese older adults: a 10-year prospective study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations of accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time with all-cause mortality in older Japanese adults.

METHODS

A total of 1723 independent Japanese adults aged ≥65 years were followed from 2011 to 2021. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA) and sedentary time were measured using a triaxial accelerometer secured to participants' waists.

RESULTS

Over a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 336 deaths were recorded. When examined as tertiles, higher MVPA (both ≥10 and <10 min bouts) and LPA were associated with a lower mortality risk. Additional adjustment for MVPA attenuated the associations of LPA, but the HRs in the highest tertile remained significant. Longer sedentary time was significantly associated with an increased mortality risk, but not after adjusting for MVPA. In spline analyses, a linear dose-response association with all-cause mortality was observed for LPA, while the HRs declined progressively with higher levels of MVPA until approximately 80 min/day, beyond which they levelled out. Replacing 10 min/day of sedentary time with MVPA but not LPA was associated with a 12% lower risk of morality (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.83 to 0.93); the HR for replacing 10 min/day LPA with MVPA was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.95). These results were materially unchanged when excluding deaths within the first 5 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Physical activity, regardless of intensity, was associated with a lower all-cause mortality risk among older Japanese adults. Replacing sedentary time or LPA with MVPA was associated with a lower mortality risk. The mortality benefit started from a low MVPA dose and additional benefits were associated with higher doses.

24-hour movement behaviors and changes in quality of life over time among community-dwelling older adults: a compositional data analysis

BACKGROUND

Favorable movement behavior patterns, comprising more physical activity, less sedentary behavior, and sufficient sleep, may promote the maintenance of good quality of life (QoL) with advancing age. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether movement behaviors predict future changes in QoL among community-dwelling older adults over a four-year follow-up.

METHODS

Participants were 75-, 80- and 85-year-old community-dwelling older adults (n = 203) followed up for 4 years. Participants wore thigh- and trunk-mounted accelerometers for 3-7 days at baseline. Proportion of time-use in physical activity, standing and sedentary behavior were assessed based on body posture and movement intensity. Time in bed was determined using an automated algorithm. QoL was assessed during a home interview using the short Older People's Quality of Life Questionnaire at baseline and follow-up (range 13-65, higher scores indicate higher QoL). Compositional linear regression analysis was used to study whether baseline time-use composition predicts changes in QoL.

RESULTS

Over the 4-year follow-up, QoL scores decreased by 5% on average. Higher physical activity in relation to the other movement behaviors was associated with increase in QoL over time (βilr 0.94, p = 0.013), but this association attenuated after adding baseline physical function into the model. Sedentary behavior, standing, and time in bed were not associated with changes in QoL. Theoretical reallocation of 30 min of physical activity into sedentary behavior, standing or time in bed was estimated to decrease QoL by 0.5 (CI 95% -0.6 to -0.4), 0.6 (-0.7 to -0.5) and 0.4 (-0.5 to -0.3) points, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Theoretical reallocation of physical activity into sedentary behavior, standing, and time in bed was found to be associated with prospective decline in QoL among older adults. Engaging more in physical activity and less in more passive activities may promote better QoL with advancing age.

Association of Accelerometer-Determined Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior With the Gut Microbiome in Middle-Aged Women: A Compositional Data Approach

The beneficial effects of physical activity (PA) on gut microbiome have been reported, nevertheless the findings are inconsistent, with the main limitation of subjective methods for assessing PA. It is well accepted that using an objective assessment of PA reduces the measurement error and also allows objective assessment of sedentary behavior (SB). We aimed to study the associations between accelerometer-assessed behaviors (i.e., SB, light-intensity physical activity [LPA] and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]) with the gut microbiome using compositional data analysis, a novel approach that enables to study these behaviors accounting for their inter-dependency. This cross-sectional study included 289 women from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Physical activity was measured during 14 days by wrist-worn accelerometers. Analyses based on the combined effect of MVPA and SB, and compositional data analyses in association with the gut microbiome data were performed. The microbial alpha- and beta-diversity were not significantly different between the MVPA-SB groups, and no differentially abundant microorganisms were detected. Compositional data analysis did not show any significant associations between any movement behavior (relative to the others) on microbial alpha-diversity. Butyrate-producing bacteria such as Agathobacter and Lachnospiraceae CAG56 were significantly more abundant when reallocating time from LPA or SB to MVPA (γ = 0.609 and 0.113, both p-values = 0.007). While PA and SB were not associated with microbial diversity, we found associations of these behaviors with specific gut bacteria, suggesting that PA of at least moderate intensity (i.e., MVPA) could increase the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing microbes.

Analysing time-use composition as dependent variables in physical activity and sedentary behaviour research: different compositional data analysis approaches

Recently, there has been a paradigm shift from considering physical activity and sedentary behaviour as "independent" risk factors of health to acknowledging their co-dependency and compositional nature. The focus is now on how these behaviours relate to each other rather than viewing them in isolation. Compositional data analysis (CoDA) is a methodology that has been developed specifically for compositional data and the number of publications using CoDA in physical activity and sedentary behaviour research has increased rapidly in the past years. Yet, only a small proportion of the published studies in physical activity and sedentary behaviour research have investigated the time-use composition as dependent variables. This could be related to challenges regarding the interpretation of the results and the lack of guidelines for deciding which statistical approach to use. Therefore, in this paper, four different approaches for analysing the time-use composition as dependent variables are presented and discussed. This paper advocates that the aim of research should guide how the dependent variable is defined and which data analysis approach is selected, and it encourages researchers to consider analysing time-use components as dependent variables in physical activity and sedentary behaviour research.

Compositional isotemporal substitution analysis of physical activity, sedentary behaviour and cardiometabolic biomarkers in US adults: A nationally representative study

Substantial evidence links physical activity and sedentary behaviour (SB) with cardiovascular health. However, studies usually examine time-use behaviours independently, rather than considering daily activities as a 24-hour time-use composition. This study aimed to use compositional data models to investigate how time reallocations from SB to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)/ light physical activity (LPA) were associated with changes in cardiometabolic biomarkers. Compositional isotemporal substitution analysis was conducted using data from a representative cross-sectional sample of adults aged 20 years or older (n = 5213 full sample; n = 2221 fasting subsample) from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Overall as well as gender- and age-specific estimates were obtained for reallocating time between the behaviours associated with cardiometabolic outcomes. Replacing SB with MVPA was associated with decreased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), insulin, insulin resistance homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) and 2-hour glucose, and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), except for WBCs in older adults, insulin and HOMA-IR in females and older adults, 2-hour glucose in young and older adults, and HDL-C in older adults. Substituting LPA for SB resulted in lower CRP in older adults, lower RDW in males and older adults, lower insulin in young and middle-aged adults, lower HOMA-IR in females and middle-aged adults, and higher HDL-C in males and young adults. Our findings provide new evidence for the potential benefits of LPA and MVPA in cardiovascular health and help make population-specific recommendations for physical activity.HighlightsShorter sedentary behaviour (SB) time and longer active behaviours time are associated with a lower cardiovascular disease risk profile.Although replacing SB with MVPA has stronger positive health effects, LPA, as a simpler and more feasible activity, may has greater potential in promoting cardiovascular health.The expected changes in cardiometabolic biomarkers caused by time reallocations from SB to MVPA/LPA vary with gender and age, and physical activity guidelines with specific recommendations should be tailed to the subpopulations.

The association between reallocations of time and health using compositional data analysis: a systematic scoping review with an interactive data exploration interface

BACKGROUND

How time is allocated influences health. However, any increase in time allocated to one behaviour must be offset by a decrease in others. Recently, studies have used compositional data analysis (CoDA) to estimate the associations with health when reallocating time between different behaviours. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an overview of studies that have used CoDA to model how reallocating time between different time-use components is associated with health.

METHODS

A systematic search of four electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, SPORTDiscus) was conducted in October 2022. Studies were eligible if they used CoDA to examine the associations of time reallocations and health. Reallocations were considered between movement behaviours (sedentary behaviour (SB), light physical activity (LPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) or various activities of daily living (screen time, work, household chores etc.). The review considered all populations, including clinical populations, as well as all health-related outcomes.

RESULTS

One hundred and three studies were included. Adiposity was the most commonly studied health outcome (n = 41). Most studies (n = 75) reported reallocations amongst daily sleep, SB, LPA and MVPA. While other studies reported reallocations amongst sub-compositions of these (work MVPA vs. leisure MVPA), activity types determined by recall (screen time, household chores, passive transport etc.) or bouted behaviours (short vs. long bouts of SB). In general, when considering cross-sectional results, reallocating time to MVPA from any behaviour(s) was favourably associated with health and reallocating time away from MVPA to any behaviour(s) was unfavourably associated with health. Some beneficial associations were seen when reallocating time from SB to both LPA and sleep; however, the strength of the association was much lower than for any reallocations involving MVPA. However, there were many null findings. Notably, most of the longitudinal studies found no associations between reallocations of time and health. Some evidence also suggested the context of behaviours was important, with reallocations of leisure time toward MVPA having a stronger favourable association for health than reallocating work time towards MVPA.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence suggests that reallocating time towards MVPA from any behaviour(s) has the strongest favourable association with health, and reallocating time away from MVPA toward any behaviour(s) has the strongest unfavourable association with health. Future studies should use longitudinal and experimental study designs, and for a wider range of outcomes.

The Impact of Physical Activity Intensity on the Dynamic Progression of Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity: Prospective Cohort Study Using UK Biobank Data

BACKGROUND

Although many studies have reported on the associations between the amount of physical activity (PA) and the transitions of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM), the evidence for PA intensity has not been fully evaluated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the impact of PA intensity on the dynamic progression of CMM.

METHODS

The prospective cohort of this study using data from the UK Biobank included 359,773 participants aged 37-73 years who were recruited from 22 centers between 2006 and 2010. The diagnoses of CMM, which included the copresence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), ischemic heart disease, and stroke, were obtained from first occurrence fields provided by the UK Biobank, which included data from primary care, hospital inpatient record, self-reported medical condition, and death registers. The PA intensity was assessed by the proportion of vigorous PA (VPA) to moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA). Multistate models were used to evaluate the effect of PA intensity on the dynamic progression of CMM. The first model (model A) included 5 transitions, namely free of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) to first occurrence of CMD (FCMD), free of CMD to death, FCMD to CMM, FCMD to mortality, and CMM to mortality. The other model (model B) used specific CMD, namely T2D, ischemic heart disease, and stroke, instead of FCMD and included 11 transitions in this study.

RESULTS

The mean age of the included participants (N=359,773) was 55.82 (SD 8.12) years at baseline, and 54.55% (196,271/359,773) of the participants were female. Compared with the participants with no VPA, participants with intensity levels of >0.75 to <1 for VPA to MVPA had a 13% and 27% lower risk of transition from free of CMD to FCMD (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.91) and mortality (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.66-0.79) in model A, respectively. The HR for the participants with no moderate PA was 0.82 (95% CI 0.73-0.92) compared with no VPA. There was a substantially protective effect of higher PA intensity on the transitions from free of CMD to T2D and from T2D to mortality, which reveals the importance of PA intensity for the transitions of T2D. More PA and greater intensity had a synergistic effect on decreasing the risk of the transitions from free of CMD to FCMD and mortality. Male participants, younger adults, adults with a higher BMI, current or previous smokers, and excessive alcohol drinkers could obtain more benefits from higher PA intensity for the lower risk of at least 1 transition from free of CMD, then to CMM, and finally to mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that higher PA intensity is an effective measure for preventing CMM and mortality in the early period of CMM development. Relevant interventions related to higher PA intensity should be conducted.

Replacing of sedentary behavior with physical activity and the risk of mortality in people with prediabetes and diabetes: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sedentary behavior is prevalent among people with diabetes and is associated with unfavorable cardiometabolic health. However, there is limited evidence regarding the impact of replacing sedentary time (ST) with physical activity on mortality in people with prediabetes and diabetes. We prospectively examined the association between accelerometer-measured ST and mortality among people with prediabetes and diabetes after adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA). We further determined the effect of replacing ST with equal time of different types of physical activities on all-cause mortality.

METHODS

We included 1242 adults with prediabetes and 1037 with diabetes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Restricted cubic splines were fitted to determine the dose-response association between ST and overall mortality. Isotemporal substitution modeling was used to explore the hazard ratio (HR) effects of ST replacement.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 14.1 years, 424 adults with prediabetes and 493 with diabetes died. Compared with the lowest tertile of ST, the multivariable-adjusted HRs for all-cause mortality in the highest tertile were 1.76 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 2.60) for participants with prediabetes and 1.76 (1.17, 2.65) for those with diabetes. Additionally, a linear association between ST and all-cause mortality was observed in adults with prediabetes and diabetes, with HRs for each 60 min/day increment in ST of 1.19 (1.10, 1.30) and 1.25 (1.12, 1.40), respectively. Isotemporal substitution results indicated that individuals with prediabetes whose ST was replaced by 30 min of light-intensity physical activity (LPA) and MVPA had 9% and 40% lower all-cause mortality, respectively. In people with diabetes, replacing sedentary behavior with an equivalent time of LPA and MVPA was also associated with mortality risk reduction (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.84, 0.95 for LPA; HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.49, 1.11 for MVPA).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher ST was associated in a dose-response manner with an increased risk of premature mortality among adults with prediabetes and diabetes. Statistically replacing ST with LPA was potentially beneficial for health in this high-risk population.

Relationship between moderate-to-vigorous, light intensity physical activity and sedentary behavior in a prospective cohort of older French adults: a 18-year follow-up of mortality and cardiovascular events ─ the PROOF cohort study

Background

It is well documented that moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) is effective in the prevention of major chronic diseases. Even though the current international physical activity (PA) guidelines still mainly focus on MVPA, the topic of the most recent epidemiological studies has shifted from MVPA to light intensity physical activity (LPA), owing to the necessity of promoting all activities vs. sedentary behavior (SB). However, the evidence remains currently limited. Thus, the clarification of the effects of LPA and the close relationship with SB is crucial to promote public health.

Method

PA and SB were assessed by a validated self-administered questionnaire (POPAQ) investigating 5 different types of PA during the 7 previous days. PA was measured in metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-h, which refers to the amount of energy (calories) expended per hour of PA. SB was measured in hour/day. Medical histories and examinations were taken during each clinical visit to determine clinical events. All-cause mortality was established using the same procedure and by checking local death registries. The relationships between the intensity of PA (light, moderate to vigorous) and mortality and between the periods of SB and mortality or CV events were analyzed by splines and COX models, adjusted for sex and year of birth.

Results

From the 1011 65-year-old subjects initially included in 2001 (60% women), the last 18-year follow-up has been currently completed since 2019. A total of 197 deaths (19.2%, including 77 CV deaths) and 195 CV events (19.3%) were reported. Averages (standard deviation) of MVPA, LPA and SB were, respectively, 1.2 h/d (0.3), 5.8 h/d (1.1), and 6.6 h/d (2.3). For all-cause deaths, as well as CV deaths, the splines were significant for LPA (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01), and MVPA (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), but not for SB (p = 0.24 and p = 0.90). There was a significant reduction in CV events when SB was decreasing from 10.9 to 3.3 h/d.

Conclusion

The PROOF cohort study shows a clear dose-response between the dose of LPA, MVPA, SB and risk of mortality. These findings provide additional evidence to support the inclusion of LPA in future PA guidelines.

The associations of physical activity and lifetime depression with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: evidence from a prospective cohort study

This study aims to explore the joint associations of physical activity and lifetime depression with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The present study using data from UK Biobank, included 316568 participants aged 37 to 73 years recruited from 22 centers between 2006 and 2010. Total physical activity (TPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA), assessed by metabolic equivalent task (MET) were used and Cox-proportional hazard models were performed in this study. The incidence rate of all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality was 4.35(95%CI: 4.29-4.42), 0.69 (95%CI: 0.67-0.72), and 2.23 (95%CI: 2.19-2.28) per 1000 person-years after an average follow-up time of 12.49 years. Lower levels of TPA, MVPA, and VPA were all independently associated with elevated risk of all-cause and cancer mortality. Lifetime depression was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause (HR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.40-1.52), CVD (HR=1.48, 95%CI: 1.33-1.64), and cancer mortality (HR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.06-1.21). Significant interactive effect of low levels of TPA, MVPA, and VPA and lifetime depression on all-cause mortality were found in this study. The risk of all-cause mortality associated with lifetime depression was deteriorated with low levels of physical activity. Relevant interventions for regular PA should be performed among depressed population.

Wrist Accelerometer Estimates of Physical Activity Intensity During Walking in Older Adults and People Living With Complex Health Conditions: Retrospective Observational Data Analysis Study

BACKGROUND

Accurate measurement of daily physical activity (PA) is important as PA is linked to health outcomes in older adults and people living with complex health conditions. Wrist-worn accelerometers are widely used to estimate PA intensity, including walking, which composes much of daily PA. However, there is concern that wrist-derived PA data in these cohorts is unreliable due to slow gait speed, mobility aid use, disease-related symptoms that impact arm movement, and transient activities of daily living. Despite the potential for error in wrist-derived PA intensity estimates, their use has become ubiquitous in research and clinical application.

OBJECTIVE

The goals of this work were to (1) determine the accuracy of wrist-based estimates of PA intensity during known walking periods in older adults and people living with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) or neurodegenerative disease (NDD) and (2) explore factors that influence wrist-derived intensity estimates.

METHODS

A total of 35 older adults (n=23 with CVD or NDD) wore an accelerometer on the dominant wrist and ankle for 7 to 10 days of continuous monitoring. Stepping was detected using the ankle accelerometer. Analyses were restricted to gait bouts ≥60 seconds long with a cadence ≥80 steps per minute (LONG walks) to identify periods of purposeful, continuous walking likely to reflect moderate-intensity activity. Wrist accelerometer data were analyzed within LONG walks using 15-second epochs, and published intensity thresholds were applied to classify epochs as sedentary, light, or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants were stratified into quartiles based on the percent of walking epochs classified as sedentary, and the data were examined for differences in behavioral or demographic traits between the top and bottom quartiles. A case series was performed to illustrate factors and behaviors that can affect wrist-derived intensity estimates during walking.

RESULTS

Participants averaged 107.7 (SD 55.8) LONG walks with a median cadence of 107.3 (SD 10.8) steps per minute. Across participants, wrist-derived intensity classification was 22.9% (SD 15.8) sedentary, 27.7% (SD 14.6) light, and 49.3% (SD 25.5) MVPA during LONG walks. All participants measured a statistically lower proportion of wrist-derived activity during LONG walks than expected (all P<.001), and 80% (n=28) of participants had at least 20 minutes of LONG walking time misclassified as sedentary based on wrist-derived intensity estimates. Participants in the highest quartile of wrist-derived sedentary classification during LONG walks were significantly older (t₁₆=4.24, P<.001) and had more variable wrist movement (t₁₆=2.13, P=.049) compared to those in the lowest quartile.

CONCLUSIONS

The current best practice wrist accelerometer method is prone to misclassifying activity intensity during walking in older adults and people living with complex health conditions. A multidevice approach may be warranted to advance methods for accurately assessing PA in these groups.

Cross-Sectional Associations of Sedentary Behavior and Sitting with Serum Lipid Biomarkers in Midlife

INTRODUCTION

Physical inactivity, excessive total time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) and prolonged sedentary bouts have been proposed to be risk factors for chronic disease morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, which patterns and postures of SB have the most negative impacts on health outcomes is still unclear. This population-based study aimed to investigate the independent associations of the patterns of accelerometer-based overall SB and sitting with serum lipid biomarkers at different moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) levels.

METHODS

Physical activity and SB were measured in a birth cohort sample ( N = 3272) at 46 yr using a triaxial hip-worn accelerometer in free-living conditions for 14 d. Raw acceleration data were classified into SB and PA using a machine learning-based model, and the bouts of overall SB and sitting were identified from the classified data. The participants also answered health-related questionnaires and participated in clinical examinations. Associations of overall SB (lying and sitting) and sitting patterns with serum lipid biomarkers were investigated using linear regression.

RESULTS

The overall SB patterns were more consistently associated with serum lipid biomarkers than the sitting patterns after adjustments. Among the participants with the least and the most MVPA, high total time spent in SB and SB bouts of 15-29.99 and ≥30 min were associated with impaired lipid metabolism. Among those with moderate amount of MVPA, higher time spent in SB and SB bouts of 15-29.99 min was unfavorably associated with serum lipid biomarkers.

CONCLUSIONS

The associations between SB patterns and serum lipid biomarkers were dependent on MVPA level, which should be considered when planning evidence-based interventions to decrease SB in midlife.

Oxidative Stress Risk Is Increased with a Sedentary Lifestyle during Aging in Mexican Women

Oxidative stress (OS) increases during the human aging process, and the sedentary lifestyle could be a prooxidant factor. In this study, we determine the effect of sedentary lifestyle on OS during the aging process in Mexican women. A longitudinal study of two-year follow-up was carried out with 177 community-dwelling women (40-69 y) from Mexico City. We measured as OS markers plasma malondialdehyde, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), total plasma antioxidant status, uric acid level, antioxidant gap, and SOD/GPx ratio. To define OS using all the markers, we defined cut-off values of each parameter based on the 90th percentile of young healthy subjects and, we calculated a stress score (SS) ranging from 0 to 7, which represented the intensity of the marker modifications. All the women answered a structured questionnaire about prooxidant factors, including physical activity specially the type of activity, frequency, and duration, and they answered Spanish versions of self-assessment tests for establishing dysthymia and insomnia as potential confounders. Principal component and Poisson regression analysis were used as statistical tools, being two-year OS the primary outcome. The OS was considerate as SS ≥ 4 and sedentary lifestyle as <30 min/day of physical activity, beside several prooxidant factors and age that were covariables. SS is higher in sedentary lifestyle women after the two-year follow-up; although, the difference was statistically significant only in older women. Four principal components were associated with the OS, and 7 out of 8 prooxidant factors were important for the analysis, which were included in the Poisson model. The predictive factors for OS were the sedentary lifestyle (adjusted PR = 2.37, CI95%: 1.30-4.30, p < 0.01), and age, in which the risk increases 1.06 (CI95%:1.02-2.11, p < 0.01) by each year of age. Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle increases the OS during the aging in Mexican women.

Cross-sectional and prospective associations of sleep, sedentary and active behaviors with mental health in older people: a compositional data analysis from the Seniors-ENRICA-2 study

BACKGROUND

Most studies on the effects of sleep, sedentary behavior (SB), and physical activity (PA) on mental health did not account for the intrinsically compositional nature of the time spent in several behaviors. Thus, we examined the cross-sectional and prospective associations of device-measured compositional time in sleep, SB, light PA (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) with depression symptoms, loneliness, happiness, and global mental health in older people (≥ 65 years).

METHODS

Data were taken from the Seniors-ENRICA-2 study, with assessments in 2015-2017 (wave 0) and 2018-2019 (wave 1). Time spent in sleep, SB, LPA and MVPA was assessed by wrist-worn accelerometers. Depression symptoms, loneliness, happiness, and global mental health were self-reported using validated questionnaires. Analyses were performed using a compositional data analysis (CoDA) paradigm and adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS

In cross-sectional analyses at wave 0 (n = 2489), time-use composition as a whole was associated with depression and happiness (all p < 0.01). The time spent in MVPA relative to other behaviors was beneficially associated with depression (γ = -0.397, p < 0.001), loneliness (γ = -0.124, p = 0.017) and happiness (γ = 0.243, p < 0.001). Hypothetically, replacing 30-min of Sleep, SB or LPA with MVPA was beneficially cross-sectionally related with depression (effect size [ES] ranged -0.326 to -0.246), loneliness (ES ranged -0.118 to -0.073), and happiness (ES ranged 0.152 to 0.172). In prospective analyses (n = 1679), MVPA relative to other behaviors at baseline, was associated with favorable changes in global mental health (γ = 0.892, p = 0.049). We observed a beneficial prospective effect on global mental health when 30-min of sleep (ES = 0.521), SB (ES = 0.479) or LPA (ES = 0.755) were theoretically replaced for MVPA.

CONCLUSIONS

MVPA was cross-sectionally related with reduced depression symptoms and loneliness and elevated level of happiness, and prospectively related with enhanced global mental health. Compositional isotemporal analyses showed that hypothetically replacing sleep, SB or LPA with MVPA could result in modest but significantly improvements on mental health indicators. Our findings add evidence to the emerging body of research on 24-h time-use and health using CoDA and suggest an integrated role of daily behaviors on mental health in older people.

Revisiting the association of sedentary behavior and physical activity with all-cause mortality using a compositional approach: the Women's Health Study

BACKGROUND

While physical activity has consistently been associated with decreased mortality rates, it remains unknown if there is a single "ideal" combination of time in physical activities of different intensities and sedentary behavior (SB) associated with the lowest rate. This study examined the associations of combinations of time in moderate-to-vigorous intensity (MVPA), higher-light intensity (HLPA), lower-light intensity activities (LLPA), and SB with mortality rates in older women.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study included 16,676 older women from throughout the United States enrolled in the Women's Health Study. Women wore accelerometers on their hip from 2011 to 2015 and were followed through 2017 (mean (SD) of 4.3 (1.1) years). Deaths were confirmed with medical records, death certificates, or the National Death Index. Compositional Cox regression models were used.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) age was 72 (5.7) years at accelerometer wear; 503 women died. Compared to the least active women (mean, 3 min/day MVPA, 27 min/day HLPA, 162 min/day LLPA, and 701 min/day SB): compositional models showed an inverse L-shaped dose-response association of MVPA replacing other behaviors with mortality rates mortality rates (P = .02); SB relative to LLPA, HLPA, and MVPA was directly associated with mortality rates in a curvilinear dose-response manner (P < .001); replacing 10 min of SB for MVPA (HR (95% CI) = .86 (.73-.98)) or for HLPA (HR (95% CI.94 (.88-1.00)) associated with 14 and 6% lower mortality rates, respectively; a 47% risk reduction (HR [95% CI] = .53 [.42-.64]) was observed among women meeting physical activity guidelines (mean, 36 min/day MVPA, 79 min/day HLPA, 227 min/day LLPA and 549 min/day SB); and similar mortality rate reductions of 43% (HR (95% CI) = .57 (.41-.73)) were observed with increases in HLPA and LLPA without increasing MVPA, e.g., reallocating SB to 90 min/day of HLPA plus 120 min/day of LLPA.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no "ideal" combination of physical activities of different intensities and SB associated with the lowest mortality rates. Of particular relevance to older women, replacing SB with light intensity activity was associated with lower mortality rates, and "mixing and matching" times in different intensities yielded equivalent mortality risk reductions.

A systematic review of compositional data analysis studies examining associations between sleep, sedentary behaviour, and physical activity with health outcomes in adults

This systematic review determined if the composition of time spent in movement behaviours (i.e., sleep, sedentary behaviour (SED), light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)) is associated with health in adults. Five electronic databases were searched in August 2019. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed, examined community-dwelling adults, and used compositional data analysis to examine the associations between the composition of time spent in movement behaviours and health outcomes. Eight studies (7 cross-sectional, 1 prospective cohort) of >12 000 unique participants were included. Findings indicated that the 24-h movement behaviour composition was associated with all-cause mortality (1 of 1 analyses), adiposity (4 of 4 analyses), and cardiometabolic biomarkers (8 of 15 analyses). Reallocating time into MVPA from other movement behaviours was associated with favourable changes to most health outcomes and taking time out of SED and reallocating it into other movement behaviours was associated with favourable changes to all-cause mortality. The quality of evidence was very low for all health outcomes. In conclusion, these findings support the notion that the composition of movement across the entire 24-h day matters, and that recommendations for sleep, SED, and physical activity should be combined into a single public health guideline. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42019121641.) Novelty The 24-h movement behaviour composition is associated with a variety of health outcomes. Reallocating time into MVPA is favourably associated with health. Reallocating time out of SED is associated with favourable changes to mortality risk.

Striking the Right Balance: Evidence to Inform Combined Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Recommendations

BACKGROUND

Crucial evidence gaps regarding: (1) the joint association of physical activity and sedentary time with health outcomes and (2) the benefits of light-intensity physical activity were identified during the development of recommendations for the World Health Organization Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior (SB). The authors present alternative ways to evidence the relationship between health outcomes and time spent in physical activity and SB and examine how this could be translated into a combined recommendation in future guidelines.

METHODS

We used compositional data analysis to quantify the dose-response associations between the balance of time spent in physical activity and SB with all-cause mortality. The authors applied this approach using 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey accelerometer data.

RESULTS

Different combinations of time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, light-intensity physical activity, and SB are associated with similar all-cause mortality risk level. A balance of more than 2.5 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per hour of daily sedentary time is associated with the same magnitude of risk reduction for all-cause mortality as obtained by being physically active according to the current recommendations.

CONCLUSION

This method could be applied to provide evidence for more flexible recommendations in the future with options to act on different behaviors depending on individuals' circumstances and capacity.

Effects of Reallocating Time Spent Engaging in Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity on Mortality in Older Adults: ELSIA Study

BACKGROUND

The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of reallocating time spent engaging in sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity on the risk of mortality.

METHODS

In all, 332 older adult low-income and low-education populations participated in the study. At the end of the study, 273 of the participants were alive and 59 had died. Time spent undertaking moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and SB was assessed using the international physical activity questionnaire. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used.

RESULTS

The replacement of time spent engaging in SB with MVPA reduced the risk of mortality from all causes in the older adults, resulting in reductions in mortality risk of between 10% and 46%.

CONCLUSION

A reduction in the risk of mortality in older adults was observed when time spent in SB was replaced with the same amount of time in MVPA for all times tested.

A compositional analysis of time spent in sleep, sedentary behaviour and physical activity with all-cause mortality risk

BACKGROUND

Daily time spent in sleep, sedentary behaviour (SED), light intensity physical activity (LIPA), and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) are compositional, co-dependent variables. The objectives of this study were to use compositional data analysis to: (1) examine the relationship between the movement behaviour composition (daily time spent in sleep, SED, LIPA and MVPA) and all-cause mortality risk, and (2) estimate the extent to which changing time spent in any given movement behaviour (sleep, SED, LIPA, or MVPA) within the movement behaviour composition was associated with changes in risk of all-cause mortality.

METHODS

2838 adult participants from the 2005-2006 cycle of the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were studied using a prospective cohort design. Daily time spent in SED, LIPA and MVPA were determined by accelerometer. Nightly time spent sleeping was self-reported. Survey data were linked with mortality data through to the end of December 2015. Compositional data analysis was used to investigate relationships between the movement behaviour composition and mortality.

RESULTS

The movement behaviour composition was significantly associated with mortality risk. Time spent in MVPA relative to other movement behaviours was negatively associated with mortality risk (HR = .74; 95% CI [.67, .83]) while relative time spent in SED was positively associated with mortality risk (HR = 1.75; 95% CI [1.10, 2.79]). Time displacement estimates revealed that the greatest estimated changes in mortality risk occurred when time spent in MVPA was decreased and replaced with sleep, SED, LIPA or a combination of these behaviours (HRs of 1.76 to 1.80 for 15 min/day displacements).

CONCLUSIONS

The daily movement behaviour composition was related to mortality. Replacing time in MVPA or SED with equivalent time from any other movement behaviour was associated with an increase and decrease in mortality risk, respectively.

Compositional Associations of Sleep and Activities within the 24-h Cycle with Cardiometabolic Health Markers in Adults

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine how compositions of 24-h time use and time reallocations between movement behaviors are associated with cardiometabolic health in a population-based sample of middle-age Finnish adults.

METHODS

Participants were 3443 adults 46 yr of age from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study. Participants wore a hip-worn accelerometer for 14 d from which time spent in sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) were determined. These data were combined with self-reported sleep to obtain the 24-h time-use composition. Cardiometabolic outcomes included adiposity markers, blood lipid levels, and markers of glucose control and insulin sensitivity. Multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, using a compositional data analysis approach based on isometric log-ratio transformation, was used to examine associations between movement behaviors with cardiometabolic outcomes.

RESULTS

More daily time in MVPA and LPA, relative to other movement behaviors, was consistently favorably associated with all cardiometabolic outcomes. For example, relative to time spent in other behaviors, 30 min·d-1 more MVPA and LPA were both associated with lower 2-h post-glucose load insulin level (-11.8% and -2.7%, respectively). Relative to other movement behaviors, more daily time in SB was adversely associated with adiposity measures, lipid levels, and markers of insulin sensitivity, and more daily time asleep was adversely associated with adiposity measures, blood lipid, fasting plasma glucose, and 2-h insulin. For example, 60 min·d-1 more SB and sleep relative to the remaining behaviors were both associated with higher 2-h insulin (3.5% and 5.7%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Altering daily movement behavior compositions to incorporate more MVPA at the expense of any other movement behavior, or more LPA at the expense of SB or sleep, could help to improve cardiometabolic health in midadulthood.

Twenty-Four Hour Activity and Sleep Profiles for Adults Living with Arthritis: Habits Matter

OBJECTIVE

To identify 24-hour activity-sleep profiles in adults with arthritis and explore factors associated with profile membership.

METHODS

Our study comprised a cross-sectional cohort and used baseline data from 2 randomized trials studying activity counseling for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or knee osteoarthritis (OA). Participants wore activity monitors for 1 week and completed surveys for demographic information, mood (Patient Health Questionnaire 9), and sitting and walking habits (Self-Reported Habit Index). A total of 1,440 minutes/day were stratified into minutes off body (activity unknown), sleeping, resting, nonambulatory, and intermittent or purposeful ambulation. Latent class analysis determined cluster numbers; baseline-category multinomial logit regression identified factors associated with cluster membership.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 172 individuals, including 51% with RA, 30% with OA, and 19% with SLE. We identified 4 activity-sleep profiles (clusters) that were characterized primarily by differences in time in nonambulatory activity: high sitters (6.9 hours sleep, 1.6 hours rest, 13.2 hours nonambulatory activity, and 1.6 hours intermittent and 0.3 hours purposeful walking), low sleepers (6.5 hours sleep, 1.2 hours rest, 12.2 hours nonambulatory activity, and 3.3 hours intermittent and 0.6 hours purposeful walking), high sleepers (8.4 hours sleep, 1.9 hours rest, 10.4 hours nonambulatory activity, and 2.5 hours intermittent and 0.3 hours purposeful walking), and balanced activity (7.4 hours sleep, 1.5 hours sleep, 9.4 hours nonambulatory activity, and 4.4 hours intermittent and 0.8 hours purposeful walking). Younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.95 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.91-0.99]), weaker occupational sitting habit (OR 0.55 [95% CI 0.41-0.76]), and stronger walking outside habit (OR 1.43 [95% CI 1.06-1.91]) were each associated with balanced activity relative to high sitters.

CONCLUSION

Meaningful subgroups were identified based on 24-hour activity-sleep patterns. Tailoring interventions based on 24-hour activity-sleep profiles may be indicated, particularly in adults with stronger habitual sitting or weaker walking behaviors.

Injured Runners Do Not Replace Lost Running Time with Other Physical Activity

Running-related injuries are common and may pose a barrier to maintaining high levels of overall physical activity.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine whether recreational runners remain physically active while experiencing running-related pain or running-related injury.

METHODS

Recreational runners (n = 49) participated in a year-long observational cohort study. Subjects were issued a commercial activity monitor to measure daily physical activity level, quantified by the total minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Subjects also completed a weekly survey inquiring about running-related pain and any modifications made to planned running sessions. A week was classified as an "injured week" if a runner reported a reduction or cancellation of at least three planned training sessions, otherwise, it was categorized as an "uninjured week." Separately, pain level was assessed for each week using a 0 to 10 scale. Survey responses were used to longitudinally track pain levels and injury status for each runner. Mixed-effect linear models were used to quantify whether sustaining an injury or reporting running-related pain during a given week were associated with changes in MVPA levels for that week.

RESULTS

Compared with uninjured weeks, runners engaged in 14.1 fewer minutes of MVPA per day (95% confidence interval, -22.5 to -6.0) during weeks in which they reported a running-related injury. Lost MVPA during injured weeks was primarily replaced by sedentary activity. There was no significant association between running-related pain and MVPA.

CONCLUSIONS

Injured runners do not replace lost running time with other forms of MVPA. Running-related injury and running-related pain should not be conflated; although reporting injury is associated with a reduction in physical activity in recreational runners, high pain levels are not.