Factors associated with daily sitting time in a rural community-dwelling of older adults from southern Brazil

Resumo

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated factors with daily sitting time among older adults in a rural community in southern Brazil. This cross-sectional household-based study involved 477 subjects (≥ 60 years) of both sexes (2010-2011). Daily sitting time was estimated  by questionnaire,  and the sitting data were divided into two groups based on tertiles: (< 6 hours/day, and highest tertile: ≥ 6hours/day). The explanatory variables were: sex, age, schooling, living arrangements, occupation throughout life, currently working, number of morbidities, falls, nutritional status, cognitive status, smoking and alcohol consumption. The Poisson’s regression [prevalence ratio (PR) and confidence interval (CI) 95%] verified the association among explanatory variables and highest sitting tertile. According the results, the mean daily sitting time was  5.5  ± 3.2 hours/day.  The proportion of older adults within the highest tertile of daily sitting time was 43.8%.  Adjusted analyses showed that being older (PR 1.02, CI95%:1.01-1.04), being male (PR1.23, CI95%: 1.04-1.45), living with other people (PR 1.38, CI95%:1.02-1.86), having worked in agriculture (PR 1.24 CI95%: 1.04-1.48), and not working (PR1.21, CI95%:1.02-1.44), each were positively associated with highest terlile of daily sitting time. The illiterate older adults (PR=0.70; 95% CI=0.55 - 0.89), subjects who had never smoked (PR 0.60, CI95%: 0.46-0.78) and those underweight (PR 0.49, CI95%: 0.30-0.79) were less likely to be in the highest tertile of  daily sitting time (inverse association). In conclusion, the socio-demographic and lifestyle-related variables are associated with the highest terlile of daily sitting time.