Search

Summary Background & Aims The aims of this study were to examine the prospective compositional associations between sedentary behaviour (SB) patterns and longitudinal changes in body composition parameters, and to use compositional isotemporal substitution modelling to analyse the longitudinal changes in body composition parameters associated with time reallocation from SB to physical activity (PA) in older women. Methods The study included women aged 60 years and older (n = 182) with valid data at baseline and at the subsequent 7-year follow-up. For both time points, the ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer was used for SB and PA assessments and multi-frequency bioimpedance analysis was used to assess the body composition parameters related to adiposity and muscle mass. Compositional regression models were used to analyse the associations between proportion of time spent in sedentary bouts of different duration and longitudinal changes in body composition parameters. A compositional isotemporal substitution model was created to estimate the differences in body composition parameters associated with one-to-one time reallocations between baseline SB and PA. Results A significant increase in fat mass index (βilr1 = 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.18, 1.04) and visceral adipose tissue (βilr1 = 6.01, 95% CI: 1.52, 10.5) was associated with a higher baseline proportion of time spent in long sedentary bouts (i.e. sedentary bout of ≥30 min). Reallocating 1 h/week and 3.5 h/week from the time spent in long sedentary bouts in favour of light PA was associated with a significant decrease in fat mass index by 0.78% (95% CI: 0.24, 1.32) and 3.13% (95% CI: 0.97, 5.29), respectively. No association was found for indicators of muscle mass. Conclusions This study suggests that long-term adiposity status could be improved by increasing the proportion of time spent in light PA at the expense of time spent in prolonged SB. This finding may help in designing more effective and feasible interventions for the maintenance of healthy body composition in advanced age.

Background The associations between physical activity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) have been mainly found in cross-sectional studies. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the relationship between meeting step-based guidelines and changes in the risk of metabolic syndrome. Methods This study included data from older women (baseline age 62.9 ± 4.3 years) from a 7-year longitudinal study in Central Europe. At baseline and follow-up, physical activity was measured by an accelerometer, and the risk for MetS was assessed according to the NCEP-ATP III criteria. In 59 women, multivariate repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare differences in changes in the risk of MetS in groups based on meeting step-based guidelines (10,000 steps/day and 9000 steps/day for women aged Results Over 7 years, steps/day increased from 10,944 ± 3560 to 11,652 ± 4865, and the risk of MetS decreased from 41 to 12% in our sample. Women who longitudinally met step-based guidelines had a significantly higher mean concentration of high-density cholesterol (HDL-C) (64.5 and 80.3 mg/dL at baseline and follow-up, respectively) and a lower concentration of triglycerides (TGs) (158.3 and 123.8 mg/dL at baseline and follow-up, respectively) at follow-up compared to baseline. Moreover, women who increased their daily steps over 7 years to the recommended steps/day value significantly decreased the concentration of TGs (158.3 mg/dL and 123.8 mg/dL at baseline and follow-up, respectively). Conclusions Our study might suggest that the long-term meeting of step-based guidelines or an increase in daily steps/day to achieve the recommended value could be related to a lower risk of MetS, specifically in concentrations of HDL-C and TG. These findings may help in designing interventions aiming to decrease the risk of MetS in older women.

Background: The quality of life in osteoporosis is studied for men rather than for women. Aim of the study was to determine how bone mass density (BMD) relates to life quality components and the severity of pain felt by men affected by osteoporosis. Methods: Presented research is a cross-sectional study. The cohort of 62 men aged 65 to 85 years was divided into a group with osteoporosis (N = 27) and a group without osteoporosis (N = 35). The participants’ quality of life was measured with the Qualeffo41 Questionnaire, BMD was quantified by densitometry, and pain intensity was assessed on the Visual Analogue Scale. Results: We found that lower BMD was strongly correlated to participants’ quality of life (r = −0.72), especially the quality of leisure and social activities (r = −0.66), general health perception (r = −0.59), and mobility (r = −0.57). Pain significantly affected general health perception in older men with osteoporosis. General health assessment and pain were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.888). Conclusion: BMD and the overall quality of life of the study participants were related to each other. The strongest relationship occurred between reduced BMD and leisure and social activities component. The pain significantly affected participants’ general health perception. The results may be employed to create new prophylactic strategies to improve life quality in men with osteoporosis.

Background: Despite broad interest in physical activity (PA) and excessive sitting, it remains unclear what the actual patterns of PA and sedentary behaviour (SB) in older adults are and how they are associated with adiposity. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional associations between the total amount and defined bouts of PA and SB with adiposity indicators in older women. Methods: Data on 313 community-dwelling women was used. All women wore an accelerometer for one week and undergone the body composition analysis. We used three adiposity indicators: fat mass percentage (FM%), visceral fat area (VFA), fat mass index (FMI); and the fat-free mass index indicator (FFMI). In multiple linear regression analyses, we adjusted the models for the following confounders: age, wear time, socio-demographic information, smoking, and health status. Results: The mean values of FM%, VFA, FMI, and FFMI were 36.1%, 125.9 cm, 10 kg ⋅ m-2 and 17 kg ⋅ m-2, respectively. Each additional 150 minutes of MVPA per week (regardless of bout length) was associated with a decrease of 3.0% in FM%, 12 cm2 in VFA, and 1.5 kg ⋅ m-2 in FMI. Regarding strong association with bout frequency, doing MVPA lasting ≥ 10 minutes 15 times/week (to meet the target of at least 150 minutes of MVPA/week) would be associated with a decrease of 4.8% in FM%, 24.15 cm2 in VFA, and 2.55 kg ⋅ m-2 in FMI. Significant positive associations for FM%, VFA, and FMI were found with the duration and frequency of sedentary bouts lasting ≥ 20 minutes (β ranging from 0.05-0.42). Conclusions: Significant associations between fat indicators and both PA and SB were found in elderly women. The beneficial associations were much larger for frequency than for duration of bouted MVPA lasting ≥ 10 minutes. The results from this study using SB and PA in terms of total accumulated time and different bouts could be useful for designing interventions for community-dwelling older women.

The search for determinants of adiposity gain in older women has become vitally important. This study aimed to (1) analyze the adiposity gain based on the participants’ age and (2) determine the prospective associations of baseline intrapersonal, built environment, physical activity, and sedentary behavior variables with the adiposity gain in older women. This was a seven-year prospective study (baseline: 2009 to 2012, follow-up: 2016 to 2019) in older women (n = 178, baseline age = 62.8 ± 4.1 years). Baseline and follow-up adiposity (bioelectrical impedance) and baseline physical activity, sedentary behavior (accelerometers), and intrapersonal and built environment (Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale questionnaire) variables were included. The body mass index (BMI) increment tended to be inversely associated with the women’s age (p = 0.062). At follow-up, 48, 57, and 54% of the women had a relevant increase (d-Cohen &gt, 0.2) in their BMI, percentage of body fat, and fat mass index, respectively. The women that spent ≥8 h/day being sedentary were 2.2 times (1.159 to 4.327 CI95%, p &lt, 0.02) more likely to increase BMI (0.82 to 0.85 kg/m2) than non-sedentary women. No built environment variables were associated with seven-year adiposity gain (all ps &gt, 0.05). A reduction in sedentary time should be promoted for adiposity gain prevention and health preservation in older women.

Background: There are few studies assessing the health of older women with respect to their physical activity. This study sought to determine whether changes in the physical activity of 59 women aged 60+ measured seven years apart and the risk of the participants developing the metabolic syndrome (MetS) were related to each other. Methods: The physical activity of the participants was measured using the accelerometers in 2009 and 2016. Their risk for the MetS was assessed as per the NCEP-ATP III criteria. Results: The number of steps the participants took daily increased between 2009 and 2016 from 10.944±3,560 to 11.652±4865. Women who maintained a high level of physical activity between the measurements, or increased it, had a significantly higher mean concentration of high-density cholesterol in 2016 (80.3 vs. 64.5 mg/dL and 79.2 vs. 66.9mg/dL, respectively). In the latter, a lower concentration of triglycerides (TG) (123.8 vs. 158.3mg/dL) was also observed. In 2016, only 7 women met 3 or more criteria for MetS compared with 24 in 2009; at the same time, the mean number of the MetS criteria met by a participant fell from 2.2±1.4 to 1.4±1.0.Conclusions: The number of MetS criteria that the participants met in 2016 was lower than in 2007, probably due to the high number of steps taken daily. Therefore, their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases was lower too.

Background:This study aimed to use compositional data analysis to: (1) investigate the prospective associations between changes in daily movement behaviours and adiposity among elderly women; and (2) to examine how the reallocation of time between movement behaviours was associated with longitudinal changes in adiposity. Subjects/methods: This is a 7-year longitudinal study in Central European older women (n = 158, baseline age 63.9 ± 4.4 years). At baseline and follow-up, light-intensity physical activity (LIPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA)and sedentary behaviour were measured by accelerometer and body adiposity (body mass index [BMI], body fat percentage[%BF]) was assessed from measured height and weight and bioelectrical impedance analyser. Compositional regression with robust estimators and compositional longitudinal isotemporal substitution analysis explored if, and how, changes in movement behaviours were associated with adiposity. Results: Over 7 years, the prevalence of obesity in the sample increased by 10.1% and 14.6% according to BMI and %BF,respectively, and time spent in sedentary behaviour increased by 14%, while time spent in LIPA and MVPA decreased by 14% and 21%, respectively. The increase in sedentary behaviour at the expense of LIPA and MVPA during the 7-year period was associated with higher BMI and %BF at follow-up (both p < 0.01). The increase in LIPA or MVPA at the expense of sedentary behaviour was associated with reduced BMI and %BF at follow-up. In our sample, the largest change in BMI (0.75 kg/m2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.37–1.13) and %BF (1.28 U; 95% CI: 0.48–2.09) was associated with longitudinal reallocation of 30 min from MVPA to sedentary behaviour. Conclusions: We found an association between longitudinal changes in daily movement behaviours and adiposity among elderly women in Central Europe. Our findings support public health programmes to increase or maintain time spent in higher-intensity physical activity among elderly women. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Background: This study aimed to describe the frequency and duration of sedentary bouts and assess the bidirectional cross-sectional associations between these characteristics and adiposity in elderly women. Methods: Data from 314 elderly community-dwelling women (mean age 66.6±6.5 years) from Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia were analyzed. Measures were collected in 2008–2017. Fat mass percentage (FM%) was used as an indicator of adiposity. The patterns of sedentary behaviour were monitored using an accelerometer, and ≥5, ≥10, ≥20, ≥30, ≥40, and ≥60 minute bouts were analyzed. The exponent alpha was also calculated to express the accumulation of sedentary time in bouts. We performed a multiple linear regression analysis to assess the bidirectional causal association between variables. Results: There was a significant association of FM% with time spent in bouts with a duration ≥5, ≥10, ≥20min (β ranging 0.11–0.28, p≤0.01) and the frequency of bouts with a length ≥5, ≥10, ≥20, and ≥30min (β ranging 0.03–0.74, p≤0.05) in fully-adjusted models. In contrast, a strong negative association was observed between FM% and alpha (bout distribution) in both directions (p≤0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that the sedentary characteristics such as bout duration, bout frequency, and distribution (alpha) are bidirectionally associated with adiposity and they should be considered in further research in older adults.

This study is the first to use compositional data analysis to investigate movement behaviors of elderly women and their relationships with fat mass percentage (FM%). The focus of the study is on the associations of time reallocations from sedentary behavior (SB) to light physical activity (LIPA) or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with adiposity. Over 400 older adult women were recruited as part of the cross-sectionally conducted measurements of older adults aged 60+ in Central European countries. An accelerometer was used to assess daily movement behaviors. Body mass index (BMI) and fat mass percentage (FM%) were assessed as adiposity indicators using InBody 720 MFBIA. Using LS-regression, we found positive relationships of BMI and FM% with SB (relative to remaining movement behaviors) (p &lt, 0.001 for both), while their relationship with MVPA (relative to remaining movement behaviors) were negative (p &lt, 0.001 for both). The estimated BMI and FM% associated with a 30-min SB-to-MVPA reallocation were reduced by 1.5 kg/m2 and 2.2 percentage points, respectively, whereas they were not reduced significantly with the reallocation of 30 min from SB to LIPA. The findings highlight that SB and MVPA, but not LIPA, are significantly associated with adiposity in elderly women. The reallocation of time from SB to MVPA could be advocated in weight loss interventions in older women.

To achieve its aim, any human activity needs to be performed consciously and purposefully. In this way, such an activity strengthens perseverance and contributes to the development of a strategy of action. The selection of the objective is associated with the valuation and hierarchy of goals and in such circumstances the teacher who targets the completion o a variety of tasks needs to determine what is important for them, prioritise, and establish which activities are indispensable in order to proceed to further steps (Strelau, 2000). Physical education forms a process through which students are prepared for an independent, satisfying and life-long participation in movement culture(Crum, 2007). However, the realization of these goals is relative to activities on the part of teachers and adequate education throughout the course of the study program. The objective of this paper is to establish the opinions of academic teachers regarding the hierarchy of the goals of physical education. The survey involved 52 teachers working at three Polish universities: Opole University of Technology, University of Physical Education in Katowice and State Higher Vocational School in Racibórz. The method involved a diagnostic technique, i.e. a survey in the form of a questionnaire. The specific tool applied a survey developed by the European Physical Education Association. On the basis of the replies to the questionnaire we can conclude that all interviewees agree on the principal objective i.e. encouraging students to follow an active and healthy lifestyle. This objective was followed in priority by ensuring students’ safety during physical education classes and developing the range of movement skills.

Introduction: To verify relationships between physical activity (steps per day) and obesity (components of body composition) among postmenopausal women. Material and methods: Physical activity (ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer; worn for 7 days) and obesity (body composition analyzer InBody 720) were assessed among 79 healthy postmenopausal women (age 63.25 ± 5.51 years; range: 51-81 years). In order to determine differences in body composition in women with different levels of physical activity, one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted, with age of participants as a covariate. Results : Significant intergroup differences in almost all analyzed components of the body composition (weight, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, visceral fat area, body fat mass and percent of body fat) were obtained. Highly active women (≥ 12,500 steps/day) had lower weight and adiposity parameters than those that represented low (< 7,500 steps/day) or somewhat active (7,500-9,999 steps/day) groups. Besides, a noteworthy difference between active (10,000-12,499 steps/day) and low active women was recorded. Noticeably, only in the most active group was the BMI within normal ranges. Conclusions : The higher physical activity, the lower obesity in postmenopausal women. The recommended 10,000 steps/day seems insufficient for this age group. Based on the obtained results, postmenopausal women should walk at least 12,500 steps per day to improve their health.

BACKGROUND: Neighborhood environment is an aspect that influences physical activity, mainly walking. Hence, built environment research may help to use environmental and policy strategies to increase physical activity. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between perceived neighborhood environment and meeting the recommendation of at least 30 minutes of walking 5 or more days a week within active transportation and leisure-time domains in Central European older adults. METHODS: Four hundred and fifty six healthy ambulatory older adults filled out the modified and culturally adapted version of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (ANEWS) for obtaining perceived environment information and the self-administrative long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for assessing physical activity levels. RESULTS: Respondents living in high residential density neighborhoods (OR 1.87), living in flats (OR 2.09) and in location with ≤100,000 inhabitants (OR 1.63) were more likely to meet recommendation within walking for transportation. Owning a dog was associated with meeting recommendation within walking for leisure (OR 1.69). CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the specific impact of environment on meeting PA recommendations within transportation and leisure time walking in older adults. Out of all perceived neighborhood environmental attributes received from ANEWS questionnaire, only high residential density was positively associated with meeting recommendation within total walking and walking for transport.

Cilem prezentovane studie bylo analyzovat zdravotni ukazatele vychazejici z diagnostiky tělesneho složeni v souvislosti s plněnim různých doporuceni k pohybove aktivitě u žen navstěvujicich Univerzitu třetiho věku a dale výsledky výzkumu využit pro zkvalitněni intervencnich pohybových programů u žen teto věkove kategorie a nabidnout je jako možne podklady pro narodni strategii nebo doporuceni, ktere by se vztahovaly k množstvi pohybove aktivity. Pro zjistěni objemu a intenzity pohybove aktivity v ramci jednoho týdne a průměrneho denniho poctu kroků u 143 žen navstěvujicich Univerzitu třetiho věku v Ceske republice, Slovenske republice a v Polske republice byl použit akcelerometr ActiGraph GT1M. Tělesne složeni bylo diagnostikovano s využitim přistroje InBody 720. Analýza rozptylu byla použita pro zjistěni rozdilů mezi skupinami definovanými plněnim nebo neplněnim hodnot soucasných doporuceni vztahujicich se k objemu a frekvenci pohybove aktivity u pěti výse zminěných zdravotnich ukazatelů (BMI, FFMI, BFMI, WHR, VFA). Z celkoveho poctu 143 probandů splnilo doporuceni pětkrat třiceti minut týdně středně zatěžujici pohybove aktivity 47,6 % žen, naproti tomu doporuceni 150 minut týdně středně zatěžujici pohybove aktivity splnilo dokonce 76,9 % žen. Denni doporucovanou hodnotu 10 000 kroků splnilo 60,1 % žen. Plněni doporuceni vztahujici se k poctu kroků/den se v porovnani s plněnim doporuceni vztahujicimi se k středně zatěžujici pohybove aktivitě ukazuje jako ucinnějsi prostředek pro sniženi rizika nadvahy a obezity.

Objective To evaluate general health status of a group of older adults, physically active students of the University of the Third Age (U3A), based on results of biochemical analyses of blood, assessment of their physical activity (PA) level, body composition and cognitive function with respect to age and sex. Methods A total of 104 students (85 women and 19 men, aged 63.7 ± 6.6 y) of the U3A's located in the Upper Silesia region of Poland volunteered to participate in this study. A habitual PA level and body composition were objectively assessed by using ActiGraph GT1M and InBody 720, respectively. Serum lipid profile and glucose metabolism markers were measured for assessment of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Moreover, subjects' cognitive functions were tested. Results Most of the study participants reached the daily step goal of 10,000 steps and thus fulfilled the ACSM recommendations for the quantity and quality of cardiorespiratory exercise. Highly negative correlations between the number of steps per day and body adiposity markers, serum insulin and HOMA-IR confirmed that vigorous physical activity at the recommended level was associated with better body composition and lower levels of risk markers of coronary heart disease and diabetes. Most of the U3A students were characterized by a favorable lipid profile, prevalence of normal blood pressure, low rates of HOMA-estimated insulin resistance and normal cognitive function. Conclusion Adherence to ACSM recommendations is associated with beneficial changes in risk factors related to cardiovascular disease.

Currently, body mass index (BMI) is frequently used for evaluation of obesity prevalence. This weight to height index does not reflect variability and changes in body composition components, and therefore, the BMI prevalence data may significantly differ from those based on the body fat percentage (%BFM). For the above reason, the primary aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity according to %BFM and relate these data to BMI categories in women aged 55-84 years.446 females with an average age of 65.8 ± 6.4 years participated in this study. Body composition was measured using InBody 720. Our results have shown high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study sample. Number of obese subjects increased with increasing age. We found the highest prevalence of obesity in females over 80 years. Evaluation of obesity according to BMI seems to be accurate in women with BMI30 kg/m2. We found only 1% of nonobese subjects (evaluated according to %BFM) in this BMI category. In contrast, there was found a large number of subjects with obesity (evaluated according to %BFM) among women in 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 and 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2 BMI categories.The results have shown that obesity may be diagnosed in women with lower BMI (i.e.,30 kg/m2). For this reason we recommend to evaluate the prevalence of obesity primarily from BFM% in this age group.

This study was aimed at the evaluation of relationship between visceral fat area (VFA) and physical activity (PA) with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk in the physically active postmenopausal women. A total of 85 attendants of the University of the Third Age (U3A) aged 62.8 ± 5.9 years (median time since menopause 11.8 y), participated in this study. VFA was assessed by bioimpedance method using InBody 720 analyzer. PA was assessed using the ActiGraph GT1 M accelerometer. Fasting levels of serum lipids (TG, HDL), serum glucose, waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure were measured to diagnose MetS according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. In 73 out of 85 participants the VFA exceeded the upper normal level of 100 cm2, however, in almost a half of this group (n = 36) with elevated VFA (139.5 ± 26.1 cm2 on average), only 2 out of 5 criteria for MetS diagnosis were met. Participants were physically active, making on average 10,919 ± 3435 steps/day. The risk of MetS occurrence in women with VFA > 100 cm2 was twelve times higher (OR 12.33; CI 95% [1.5; 99.8]) than in the group with VFA