Older Adults' Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity After Hip Fracture: Results From an Outpatient Rehabilitation Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Purpose: Prolonged sedentary time and limited physical activity can result in deleterious effects on health and mobility, especially for older adults with fall-related hip fracture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a multidisciplinary clinic on sedentary behavior and physical activity (prespecifi ed secondary outcomes) and provide descriptions of activity patterns over 1 year for men and women. Methods: We conducted a parallel-group, single-blinded randomized controlled trial comparing a multidisciplinary clinic and usual care (intervention) with usual care (control). We recruited 53 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 + years who were 3 to 12 months postfracture and collected data at baseline, 6, and 12 months; study staff were blinded to group allocation. The clinic included a geriatric assessment by the geriatrician, physiotherapist, and occupational therapist. Referrals were made to other professionals, when indicated. We collected the accelerometer-measured sedentary behavior and physical activity at 3 time points. We used linear mixed-effects models to compare groups at 6 and 12 months and mixed models to compare outcomes between men and women. Results: Participants were sedentary for more than 10 hours of a 13-hour day, and there were no signifi cant differences between the study groups at 6 months (2.4 [ 95% confi dence interval: -22.4 to 27.2] minutes) or 12 months (-3.7 [ 95% confi dence interval: -33.6 to 26.1] minutes). Compared with women, men spent 47.2 min/d more in sedentary time (P =.052) and 43.8 min/d less in light physical activity (P =.047). Discussion: Older adults after hip fracture spend prolonged periods of waking hours sedentary with very little activity.