Associations between sitting time and health-related quality of life among older men

Statement of problemWhile physical activity is positively associated with more optimal health-related quality of life (HRQoL), less is known about the associations between sedentary behavior and HRQoL. The purpose of this study was to determine associations of total sitting time with HRQoL among older men.MethodsOlder-aged men 55 years of age and older (N = 375) completed a mailed survey that assessed demographic and health information, weekday and weekend sitting time, and HRQoL (RAND-12).ResultsParticipants averaged 9.3 h (SD = 7) of sitting time for weekday and 8.3 h (SD = 5.2) of sitting time for weekend. For weekday, all three adjusted HRQoL models (i.e., physical, mental, and global health) indicated no significant differences in HRQoL across weekday sitting time quartiles (Q) (all p's > .36). For weekend, all three adjusted models indicated significant associations. Differences were observed for Q1 and Q4 (the lowest and highest quartiles, respectively) on physical (Mdiff = 2.3, p = 0.05), mental (Mdiff = 2.9, p < 0.05), and global health (Mdiff = 2.2, p < 0.05). Overall, older men engaged in significantly more total sitting minutes per day on the weekday compared to the weekend (511.6 v. 556.9, p > 0.01).ConclusionOlder men spend the majority of their waking hours engaged in sedentary behaviors. Weekend sitting time was associated with HRQoL when comparing the lowest and highest quartiles.

► This is the first study to date to specifically examine domain-specific sitting and HRQoL among any population.
► We report that older men spent an average of 9.28 h of sitting per day on weekdays, and 8.53 h per day on weekends.
► Weekend sitting time was associated with HRQoL when comparing the lowest and highest quartiles.