Title:
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Reducing sedentary behaviour in older adults
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Introduction: Sedentary behaviour (SB) has a deleterious effect on health and
physical function in older adults (OA). Yet, there is little known about how to
change SB patterns in OA. This thesis aimed to: 1) define the extent and context of
SB in older adults; 2) develop an intervention to help reduce SB in OA using known
physical activity behaviour change motivational techniques; 3) pilot this
intervention, using activity monitoring and real time or follow-up feedback, to
motivate frailer OA to reduce their SB.
Methods: 1) Systematic Review: Eighteen studies (23 papers) were included to
define prevalence of SB and 22 studies (31 papers) were included to define amount
of SB in OA; 2) Mixed Methods: Exploration of context of SB, to develop the
intervention, was undertaken in two lifelogging studies. Six OA reported in-depth
description of context alongside camera images and objective SB monitoring; Thirty
six OA used a standard classification system to report context; 3) Pilot Randomised
Controlled Trial (RCT): The Stomp Out (prolonged) Sitting (SOS) Intervention
recruited OA living in sheltered housing complexes (N=23) and consisted offace-toface
discussions, including visual feedback, about their SB on weeks 2, 6 and 10.
They were monitored continuously over 14 weeks with an activPAL. One group had
the addition of real-time feedback, via a vibrational feedback function (VTaP). The
primary outcomes were SB parameters and secondary outcomes were physical
function and self-reported wellness, analyzed with mixed model analysis. The
participants also reported effects of the intervention and behaviour changes made via
a self-report questionnaire, analyzed thematically.
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