A pilot Observational Study to Analyze (in)activity and Reasons for Sedentary Behavior of Cognitively Impaired Geriatric Acute Inpatients

Overview

Journal Z Gerontol Geriatr

Publisher Springer

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2019 Oct 31

PMID 31664583

Citations 5

Authors

Nacera Belala

Carolin Maier

Patrick Heldmann

Michael Schwenk

Clemens Becker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Objective: Mobility decline and worsening of the cognitive status are all too often the result of acute hospital treatment in older patients. This is particularly pronounced in patients with pre-existing cognitive impairment. This study strived to analyze the routines of geriatric acute care and identify reasons and triggers for sedentary behavior during acute hospitalization of cognitively impaired inpatients.

Methods And Patients: A sample of 20 moderately cognitively impaired geriatric inpatients (average age 84 years) were recruited on an acute care ward. Information on persons attending the patient, daytime, location, context, patient's activity behavior and difficulty of action were collected by behavioral mapping over a period of 35 1‑min timeslots and extrapolated to a period of 525 min. Routines were further analyzed via semi-structured interviews with five healthcare professionals (HCP).

Results: Relevant relations between various categorical and ordinal variables, such as patients' activity behavior, persons attending the patient, daytime, location, difficulty of action and contextual factors were found. Extrapolated data showed that patients spent 396.9 min (75%) in their room, 342.0 min (65%) were spent alone and 236.2 min (45%) lying in bed. The time patients spent alone was grossly underestimated by HCP.

Conclusion: Time spent without company, lacking meaningful activities and continuous bedridden periods due to missing demands to leave the room might have led to time spent inactive and alone. These seem to be strong predictors for sedentariness. Routines of acute care should be reorganized to increase physical activity and thereby reduce sedentary behavior of this patient group.

Citing Articles

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Facilitators and barriers to enhancing physical activity in older patients during acute hospital stay: a systematic review.

Dijkstra F, van der Sluis G, Jager-Wittenaar H, Hempenius L, Hobbelen J, Finnema E Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022; 19(1):99.

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Objective and subjective measurement of sedentary behavior in human adults: A toolkit.

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A systematic review of the physical activity levels of acutely ill older adults in Hospital At Home settings: an under-researched field.

Scott J, Abaraogu U, Ellis G, Gine-Garriga M, Skelton D Eur Geriatr Med. 2020; 12(2):227-238.

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Parra-Rizo M, Sanchis-Soler G Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(4).

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