Daily activity patterns in older adults receiving initial support: the association between daily steps and sitting in bouts of at least 60 min

Background Aging has a significant impact on health, underlining the importance of maintaining physical function and reducing time spent sitting among older adults. To understand how to reduce prolonged sitting or increase physical activity, factors related to the daily living and observed daily activity patterns should be explored. This study aimed to investigate the association between daily steps, self-rated health, physical activity, sedentary behavior, motivation to exercise and fear of falling among older adults receiving initial support. Method Cross-sectional design with total population questionnaire data from adults aged ≥ 60 years ( n = 917), living at home with initial support from municipal care in southern Sweden. The older adults were offered to participate in a follow-up study measuring daily activity patterns with accelerometers ( n = 72). Linear regression was used to analyze associations between daily steps and possible predictors. Results The linear model ( R^2= 0.478) showed that sitting in unbroken bouts of > 60 min (β = -0.313, p < 0.05), walking independently outdoors (β = 0.301, p < 0.05), intending to increase physical activity (β = -0.294, p < 0.05), sex (β = 0.279, p < 0.05), relative autonomy index (β = 0.258, p < 0.05), fear of falling (β = -0.238, p < 0.05), and self-rated health (β = 0.213, p < 0.05) predicted daily steps. Conclusion The model of predictors brings new understanding regarding daily steps among community-dwelling older adults. The association between sitting in bouts of > 60 min and daily steps is interesting as 35