Associations between accelerometer-assessed occupational and leisure-time sitting and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in Swedish middle-aged adults: a cross-sectional analysis from the SCAPIS study

Abstract Background The relationship between sedentary behavior and cognitive health remains insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to examine associations between occupational and leisure-time sitting and self-reported cognitive dysfunction. Methods Data from men and women, aged 50–64 years old, participating in the Umeå site of the cross-sectional Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS) was used. Occupational and leisure-time sitting were measured using a thigh-worn accelerometer over seven days. Work hours were reported in a diary. Cognitive dysfunction was measured using the Cognitive Dysfunction Questionnaire. A Hurdle model was used to firstly assess the association of domain-specific sitting time with any cognitive dysfunction (logistic regression) and secondly with the severity of cognitive dysfunction (beta-binomial regression). Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, educational level, moderate- to vigorous physical activity, sleep duration, risky alcohol intake and emotional health limitations. Results A total of 1559 participants were included. In the fully adjusted model, each additional hour of occupational sitting was associated with 8% lower odds of reporting cognitive dysfunction (odds ratio (OR) 0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87–0.98), while each additional hour of leisure-time sitting was associated with 12% higher odds (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03–1.21). Neither occupational nor leisure-time sitting was significantly associated with the severity of cognitive dysfunction among individuals reporting any dysfunction. Conclusions Domain-specific sitting time was associated with the occurrence, but not the severity, of self-reported cognitive dysfunction in middle-aged adults. The contrasting associations observed for occupational and leisure-time sitting suggest that the context of sedentary behavior may be relevant for cognitive health. Future longitudinal studies using device-based measurements are needed to clarify causality and to explore the potential role of cognitively active and passive sedentary behaviors.