Older adults who participate in regular physical activity have a better quality of life than those who are less active and more sedentary, a new UK study has found.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge examined the activity levels of 1,433 English adults age 60 and older, using data from the EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer)-Norfolk study. Participants’ activity levels were measured at baseline and then followed up again after six years to look at changes in their physical behavior and quality of life over time.
The study found, on average, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among most participants decreased by about 24 minutes per day six years after the initial assessment, and that total sedentary time increased by 33 minutes a day for men and about 38 minutes a day for women over the six-year period. The researchers also found those participants who were less physically active and had increased sedentary time reported lower health-related quality of life (QoL) than those who were more physically active.
“We found that higher baseline MVPA and lower total sedentary time were associated with higher QoL approximately six years later,” the authors wrote. “Further, smaller declines over time in MVPA and LPA, and smaller increases in total sedentary time and prolonged sedentary bout time were associated with better QoL. Taken together, this suggests that promotion of physical activity and limiting sedentary time in individuals may be an appropriate approach to achieving a higher absolute QoL.”
Dharani Yerrakalva, the study’s lead author from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release that remaining physically active and reducing the time spent sitting is important for people of all ages, but “seems to be particularly important in later life, when it can lead to potentially significant improvements to your quality of life and your physical and mental well-being.”
“There are several ways in which improvements in our physical behaviors might help maintain a better quality of life,” Yerrakalva said in the release. “For example, more physical activity reduces pain in common conditions such as osteoarthritis, and we know that being more physically active improves muscle strength which allows older adults to continue to care for themselves. Similarly, depression and anxiety are linked to quality of life, and can be improved by being more active and less sedentary.”
The authors said their research supports the case for that promotion of physical activity and limitation of sedentary time, and that quality of life outcomes should be included in future intervention trials and cost effectiveness analyses. “Our results add to the evidence for the wider benefits of interventions promoting physical activity and highlight the need for additional effective interventions,” the authors concluded.
The study was published in late June in the Health and Quality of Life Outcomes journal.
