The Relationship of Sitting Time and Physical Activity on the Quality of Life in Elderly People

Few studies have shown the combined impact of sitting time and physical activity on quality of life in older people. This cross-sectional study, using data from the 2016-2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, examines the association between sitting time and physical activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Korean adults aged >= 65 years. HRQoL was assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D, three-level version). We divided subjects into groups based on sitting time and physical activity and analyzed the combined association of sitting time and physical activity with HRQoL. The association between longer sitting time (>= 8 h) and HRQoL was analyzed using multiple logistic regression. In total, 4276 participants were included. Prolonged sitting time was associated with all of the EQ-5D dimensions: mobility (odds ratio [OR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-1.68), self-care (OR: 1.65 [95% CI 1.25-2.17]), usual activities (OR: 2.07 [95% CI 1.69-2.52]), pain/discomfort (OR: 1.57 [95% CI 1.34-1.84]), and anxiety/depression (OR: 1.49 [95% CI 1.17-1.91]). The prolonged sitting time/inactive group had higher ORs for all the EQ-5D dimensions than the low sitting time/active group. Prolonged sitting time was associated with low HRQoL in elderly Korean adults; physical activity could weaken the negative influence of prolonged sitting time on HRQoL.

Automated summary

The study found that prolonged sitting time is associated with lower health-related quality of life in elderly Korean adults, while physical activity may mitigate this negative impact. In particular, longer sitting time was linked to reduced mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression in this population.