Page 49 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

Association between 24-hour movement behavior and excercise
capacity in older adults

Maja Graj, Nastja Podrekar Loredan, Žiga Kozinc
University of Primorska Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia

Introduction: We live in a world where the share of older adults is constantly increasing
and bringing numerous challenges to our society. Among older adults, there is a no-
ticeable increase in physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behavior, which accel-
erates the aging processes, negatively impacts their physical and cognitive abilities, de-
teriorates their quality of life, and increases the risk of mortality. As a society, we must
proactively address aging, which includes adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as reg-
ular physical activity, balanced diet, managing sleep, and avoiding harmful factors. Un-
derstanding the connections between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and phys-
ical abilities plays a crucial role in developing effective approaches to preserving and
enhancing health in later life stages. The aim of the study is to determine the correla-
tion between 24-hour movement behavior and motor skills of older adults.
Methods: The study included 30 older adults aged 65 years or older, capable of inde-
pendent walking or with the assistance of an aid, who attended the Day activity center
for older adults in Ljubljana. Participants initially completed an online questionnaire of
sleep, sitting, and physical activity and underwent a battery of tests to assess their mo-
tor skills. The association between variables was evaluated using Pearson‘s correlation
coefficient and Spearman‘s correlation coefficient in case of non-normally distributed
variables. The significance level was accepted at α<0.05.
Results: The majority of participants (90.0%) met the physical activity recommenda-
tions of the World Health Organization. Nearly half (46.7%) of the participants met
the physical activity guidelines and engaged in exercises to strengthen major muscle
groups. Canadian guidelines were met by 70.0% of the participants, of whom 83.3%
achieved the recommended amount of sleep (more than 7 hours per day), and 80.0%
did not exceed 8 hours of sedentary behavior per day. The analysis of the association
showed a low positive correlation between sleep and the 9-Hole peg test with both
dominant and non-dominant hand. In women, we found a moderate negative corre-
lation between sedentary behavior and the 6-minute walking test. No other associ-
ations between levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior with selected varia- izzivi na področju ergonomije, gibalne (ne)aktivnosti ... | challenges in human factors, physical (in)activity ...
bles were found.
Discussion and Conclusion: Our study provided insight into the complex relationship be-
tween 24-hour movement behavior and motor skills of older adults. It suggests that
individuals who sit less have better aerobic fitness and that strength training positively
influences the strength of upper limbs and walking speed. The results also showed that
age is a strong factor negatively affecting the physical abilities of older adults.
Keywords: older adults, physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, sleep, motor skills

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