Associations Of Sedentary Behavior And Measures Of Total And Central Adiposity In Older Adults

Current evidence indicates an association between sedentary behavior (SB) and central adiposity, a key cardiometabolic disease risk factor. However, evidence using indices that better account for body shape and fat distribution than traditional indices remains limited, particularly in older adults. PURPOSE: To evaluate associations between SB and measures of total and central adiposity in older adults. METHODS: SB and physical activity data were collected via accelerometry from 33 older adults (mean ± SD: 67.1 ± 6.2 yrs; BMI = 24.4 ± 3.8 kg/m2; 60% women) who were free from injuries limiting typical physical activity. Total and central adiposity were assessed using total fat mass (FM) via BOD POD, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and body roundness index (BRI). Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess associations of SB with FM and WC, controlling for accelerometer wear time, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sex, and light physical activity (LPA). Models using WHtR and BRI as the dependent variable did not include sex as a covariate. RESULTS: SB (451 ± 117 min/d) was positively associated with FM (21.3 ± 7.8 kg; β = 0.52, p = 0.03) independent of accelerometer wear time (904 ± 74 min/d), sex, and MVPA (232 ± 219 min/wk). SB was positively associated with WC (87.7 ± 13.2 cm; β =0.57, p = 0.02) independent of accelerometer wear time and sex; however, the association was attenuated by MVPA. SB was positively associated with WHtR (0.52 ± 0.07; β = 0.52, p = 0.02) and BRI (3.79 ± 1.36, β = 0.52, p = 0.02) independent of accelerometer wear time and MVPA. The associations between SB and all dependent variables were attenuated by LPA (386 ± 74 min/d). CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that SB is significantly associated with fat mass and indices of central adiposity that account for body shape in older adults, independent of MVPA. However, time spent in LPA reduced the strength of these associations. Minimizing SB and increasing LPA may be important targets for multifactorial intervention strategies for cardiometabolic disease prevention in older adults. Supported by: Funded by ACSM Northwest Student Research Award