Total daily activity measured with actigraphy and motor function in community-dwelling older persons with and without dementia.

Total daily activity measured with actigraphy and motor function in community-dwelling older persons with and without dementia. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2012 Jul-Sep;26(3):238-45 Authors: James BD, Boyle PA, Bennett DA, Buchman AS Abstract Actigraphic measures of physical activity do not rely on participants' self-report and may be of particular importance for examining the health benefits of physical activity across the full spectrum of older individuals, especially those with dementia, a group in which loss of motor function is particularly salient. We tested whether actigraphy could be used to examine the relationship between total daily physical activity and motor function in community-dwelling older persons both with (n = 70) and without (n = 624) clinical dementia. Total daily activity was measured using actigraphy for a median of 9 (range: 2-16) days. All participants also underwent a structured examination, including 9 muscle strength and 9 motor performance measures summarized as a composite measure. In linear regression models controlling for age, sex, and education, total daily activity was associated with global motor scores (β = 0.13, SD = 0.01, P < 0.001). This association remained significant after adjusting for body composition, cognition, depressive symptoms, disability, vascular risk factors, and diseases (β = 0.07, SD = 0.01, P < 0.001). The association did not vary by dementia status (interaction P = 0.53). In pe...
Source: Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord Source Type: research