Demographic characteristics associated with circadian rest-activity rhythm patterns: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity 2021-08, Vol.18 (1), p.107-107, Article 107
• Main Authors: Li, Jingen, Somers, Virend K, Lopez-Jimenez, Francisco, Di, Junrui, Covassin, Naima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: accelerometers; Accelerometry; Actigraphy; Adult; adults; Age; Aged; Circadian Rhythm; Circadian rhythms; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Ethnicity; Female; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; mortality; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; nationalities and ethnic groups; Nutrition Surveys; physical activity; Population; Race Factors; Racial disparities; Regression analysis; Rest-activity rhythm; risk; Sex disparities; Sex Factors; Sociodemographics; Variables; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 1479-5868; 1479-5868
• DOI: 10.1186/s12966-021-01174-z

Rest-activity rhythm (RAR), a manifestation of circadian rhythms, has been associated with morbidity and mortality risk. However, RAR patterns in the general population and specifically the role of demographic characteristics in RAR pattern have not been comprehensively assessed. Therefore, we aimed to describe RAR patterns among non-institutionalized US adults and age, sex, and race/ethnicity variation using accelerometry data from a nationally representative population. This cross-sectional study was conducted using the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014. Participants aged ≥20 years who were enrolled in the physical activity monitoring examination and had at least four 24-h periods of valid wrist accelerometer data were included in the present analysis. 24-h RAR metrics were generated using both extended cosinor model (amplitude, mesor, acrophase and pseudo-F statistic) and nonparametric methods (interdaily stability [IS] and intradaily variability [IV]). Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the association between RAR and age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Eight thousand two hundred participants (mean [SE] age, 49.1 [0.5] years) were included, of whom 52.2% were women and 67.3% Whites. Women had higher RAR amplitude and mesor, and also more robust (pseudo-F statistic), more stable (higher IS) and less fragmented (lower IV) RAR (all P