Gender difference in the effects of chronic diseases on daily physical activity patterns in older adults: analysis of objectively measured physical activity in NHATS 2021

Purpose: Many chronic diseases have detrimental impact on the physical activity (PA) patterns of older adults. Often such diseases have different degrees of severity in males and females. Quantifying this gender difference would not only enhance our understanding of diseases but would also help design individual-specific PA interventions, thereby improving health outcomes for both genders. Methods: PA data for 747 participants from round 11 (2021) of the National Health and Aging Trends Study were analyzed. Multilevel functional regression models were used to study gender difference in the effects of chronic diseases on daily PA patterns while adjusting for confounders. Results: Females with dementia (or Alzheimer's disease), hypertension, heart and lung disease had lower PA at different times of day compared to females without these diseases, whereas males with and without these diseases had comparable daily PA. Males with diabetes had higher midnight PA and lower noon PA compared to males without diabetes, while females' PA with and without diabetes were similar. Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that although for most diseases, the daily PA patterns of individuals with the disease are negatively altered compared to healthy individuals, the extent of decline varies by gender and time of day. Designing personalized physical activity interventions considering gender and diurnal PA pattern can potentially improve quality of life across both genders. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study investigates the impact of chronic diseases on physical activity (PA) patterns in older adults, with a specific focus on gender differences. The findings highlight that certain diseases affect PA differently in males and females, suggesting the need for gender-specific interventions in promoting PA and improving health outcomes.