Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior at the End of the Human Lifespan

• Published in: Journal of aging and physical activity 2019-12, Vol.27 (4), p.899-905
• Main Authors: Hernández-Vicente, Adrián, Santos-Lozano, Alejandro, Mayolas-Pi, Carmen, Rodríguez-Romo, Gabriel, Pareja-Galeano, Helios, Bustamante, Natalia, Gómez-Trullén, Eva M, Lucia, Alejandro, Garatachea, Nuria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accelerometry; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - physiology; Behavior; Centenarians; Exercise; Exercise - physiology; Exercise - psychology; Female; Humans; Life Expectancy; Longevity; Male; Motor Activity - physiology; Oldest old people; Physical activity; Sedentary; Sedentary Behavior; Very old; Women
• ISSN: 1063-8652; 1543-267X
• DOI: 10.1123/japa.2018-0122

To objectively assess physical activity levels and sedentary behavior in a cohort of Spanish centenarians and their nonagenarian peers. Physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns were objectively measured by an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer in centenarians (  = 18; 83% women; 100.8 ± 0.8 [100-103] years) and nonagenarians (  = 11; 91% women; 93.3 ± 2.5 [90-98] years). Centenarians showed less counts per minute (17.6 ± 7.1 vs. 46.1 ± 23.7,  = .003,  = 1.851) and steps per day (455 ± 237 vs. 1,249 ± 776,  = .007,  = 1.587) than nonagenarians. The daily number of sedentary breaks was also lower in the former (5.0 ± 1.5 vs. 6.7 ± 2.0,  = .019,  = 0.971). When observing time distribution, the most active day period in both groups was the morning, with a peak between 10:00 and 11:59. This data suggest that the decline in physical activity levels continues to worsen until the end of the human lifespan.