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• Replacing 30 min of sedentary behavior or sleep time with light physical activity was associated with better overall cognitive function in older adults, especially in areas like orientation, attention, concentration, and language skills. • Replacing sedentary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity did not show similar cognitive benefits in this population of older adults. • Substituting a prolonged sleep period with light physical activity was linked to better orientation, attention, and short-term memory, indicating the importance of moderating excessive sleep to support cognitive function in late life. Objectives: This study investigates how 24-hour movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary time, sleep) relate to cognitive performance in older adults. Methods: 213 adults (aged 65+) wore accelerometers to track activity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Isotemporal substitution analysis examined how replacing one behavior with another affected cognition. Results: Increased light physical activity was linked to better cognitive function, whereas longer sleep had a negative impact. Replacing 30 min of sedentary behavior or sleep with light physical activity improved orientation, attention, language, and short-term memory. Substituting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity did not have the same cognitive benefit. Conclusion: Encouraging older adults to replace sedentary time or excess sleep with light physical activity could support cognitive health and potentially help prevent dementia. These findings have implications for public health strategies promoting cognitive well-being in aging populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A limited number of studies have used objective measures to examine the associations between the built environment and physical activity (PA) among older adults. This study aimed to examine geographic information systems-derived neighborhood walkability attributes and accelerometer measured PA in older adults. Data were collected from 124 older Taiwanese adults aged over 60 years (mean age: 69.9). Adjusted multiple linear regression was performed to explore the associations between five neighborhood walkability factors (population density, street connectivity, sidewalk availability, access to destinations, and public transportation) and five metrics of accelerometer-measured physical activity (total PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA, light PA, long moderate-to-vigorous PA bouts, and daily step counts). After adjusting for potential confounders, we found that greater sidewalk availability was positively associated with daily step counts in older adults (β = 0.165; 95% confidence interval: 0.006, 0.412; P = 0.043). No associations between other neighborhood environment attributes and PA metrics were observed. In conclusion, high sidewalk availability in the neighborhood may be supportive for older adults’ daily step counts. Further longitudinal research is needed to establish the causality between the built environment and objectively measured PA in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between sedentary behavior and geriatric depressive symptoms remains unclear. Moreover, few studies use objective measurement to examine the relationship between comprehensive sedentary behavior patterns and geriatric depressive symptoms. To investigate the association between sedentary behavior patterns and geriatric depressive symptoms in older adults by objective measurement. A cross-sectional study was implemented in an outpatient department from September 2020 to September 2021. Participants were community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older who could walk independently and were not at risk for cognitive dysfunction. Sedentary behavior patterns were measured by a tri-axial accelerometer for 7 consecutive days, and geriatric depressive symptoms were measured via the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. A binary logistic regression model and multiple linear regression model were performed to examine the relationship between sedentary behavior patterns and geriatric depressive symptoms scores. A total of 167 older Taiwanese adults (mean age: 80.2 ± 7.0 years; 50.9% male; 15.6% at risk for geriatric depressive symptoms) were included. After adjusting for potential confounders, achieving sedentary behavior time >9 h/day was not significantly associated with geriatric depressive symptoms; greater times of sedentary bouts and more sedentary breaks were also not associated with geriatric depressive symptoms. This study showed that the sedentary behavior patterns were not associated with geriatric depressive symptoms among older adults in the study sample. However, the important limitation in this study was that passive versus mentally active sedentary behavior were not assessed. It is suggested that further research could simultaneously use objective measurement and self-reported questionnaires to completely clarify the association between sedentary behavior patterns and geriatric depressive symptoms in older adults. • This is the first study to focus on comprehensive sedentary behavior patterns (sedentary behavior time, sedentary bout, and sedentary break) related to depressive symptoms among older adults in Taiwan. • More time spent in sedentary behaviors, regardless whether periods exceeding 9, 9–12 or >12 h per day, were not associated with increased depressive symptoms risks. • The results were adjusted for multiple confounding variables, including age, educational level, nutritional status, state of chronic diseases, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and accelerometer wear time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]