Exploring Differences in Older Adult Accelerometer-Measured Sedentary Behavior and Resting Blood Pressure Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Older adults have higher sedentary behavior (SB), lower physical activity, and are particularly susceptible to negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health restrictions. Pandemic impacts to SB and health, particularly via objective assessment, are not well documented in the literature. Here we described differences in SB, physical activity, and blood pressure (BP) for older adults before and during the pandemic. Baseline thigh-worn activPAL accelerometer and BP measurements from 95 participants enrolled in a SB intervention trial pre-pandemic were compared to 60 enrolled post-pandemic. We used linear regression models adjusted for demographic and health factors to estimate differences in sample means of SB measures and BP. The post-COVID sample was older (age 67 vs. 70), more female (60% vs. 72%), and included more individuals of color (21% vs. 32%). In fully adjusted models, systolic BP was statistically significantly higher in the post-COVID group (6.8, 95% CI: [0.3,13.3]). After adjustment, activPAL-measured and self-reported activity were non-significant but trended towards greater total sitting (0.4 hours [−0.3, 1.1]), fewer daily steps (−270 [−1078, 538]), and greater self-reported TV time (0.4 hours, [-0.3, 1.1]) post-COVID. Future analyses are warranted to better quantify these impacts and guide clinical care and future interventions.