Scientists from the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California have concluded that a sedentary lifestyle in older people is associated with an increased risk of dementia. The results of the study were published in the journal JAMA.
During the study, the authors asked over 100,000 adults to wear accelerometers 24 hours a day for one week. These devices recorded all the movements of the participants. All the participants were over 60 years old and had not been diagnosed with dementia at the beginning of the observation. Then, the data were uploaded into a machine learning algorithm, which analysed and classified the collected information. Additionally, experts examined hospital records to identify those who developed cognitive impairment.
On average, 414 cases were recorded over six years. After adjusting for demographic data and lifestyle factors, the team found that the risk of cognitive impairment significantly increased among older individuals who were sedentary for more than ten hours a day. Importantly, it was not about how many hours a person was sedentary each day, but the total time spent sitting over an extended period each day.