Using co-design principles based on the Health CASCADE framework, we aimed to describe the collaborative process undertaken to develop a 24-hour time-use intervention, called Small Steps, which promoted gradual and incremental health-behavior change. A secondary aim was to reflect on the challenges and benefits of co-design in this project, offering insights into the "why" and "how" to co-design 24-hour time-use interventions with priority populations. Twelve participants were invited and participated in 6 co-design workshops (June 2023-January 2024).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This cross-sectional study examined associations between 24-hour time-use composition (i.e. sleep, sedentary time, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) and cognitive performance and explored whether demographic or genetic factors moderated these relationships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Healthy dietary patterns can support the maintenance of cognition and brain health in older age and are negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Cardiometabolic risk factors are similarly important for cognition and may play an important role in linking diet to cognition.
Aim: This study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and cognition and to determine whether cardiometabolic health markers moderate these relationships in older adulthood.
Background: Each day is made up of a composition of "time-use behaviors." These can be classified by their intensity (eg, light or moderate-vigorous physical activity [PA]) or domain (eg, chores, socializing). Intensity-based time-use behaviors are linked with cognitive function and cardiometabolic health in older adults, but it is unknown whether these relationships differ depending on the domain (or type/context) of behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExerc Sport Sci Rev
October 2024
We synthesize evidence investigating the hypothesis that greater engagement in physical activity (PA) may compensate for some of the negative cognitive consequences associated with poor sleep in older adults. Potential mechanistic pathways include glymphatic clearance, influences on depression, and other comorbidities. The evidence base is largely cross-sectional and observational, and further experimental studies are required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We aimed to summarise and critically appraise the available evidence for the effect of age on responsiveness to non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS) paradigms delivered to the primary motor cortex.
Methods: Four databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus) were searched from inception to February 7, 2023. Studies investigating age group comparisons and associations between age and neuroplasticity induction from NBS paradigms were included.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
January 2024
Background: Increasing physical activity (PA) is an effective strategy to slow reductions in cortical volume and maintain cognitive function in older adulthood. However, PA does not exist in isolation, but coexists with sleep and sedentary behaviour to make up the 24-hour day. We investigated how the balance of all three behaviours (24-hour time-use composition) is associated with grey matter volume in healthy older adults, and whether grey matter volume influences the relationship between 24-hour time-use composition and cognitive function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Previous research on food, nutrition and dining practices in Australian residential aged care (RAC) homes has been based on a limited sample of single-home or multiple-home providers, but a nationwide study has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary overview of current food, nutrition and dining practices across Australian RAC facilities using a nationwide survey.
Methods: A survey was distributed to Australian RAC homes in August-September 2020, as part of the National Congress on Food, Nutrition and the Dining Experience in Aged Care (February 2021).
Background: How time is allocated influences health. However, any increase in time allocated to one behaviour must be offset by a decrease in others. Recently, studies have used compositional data analysis (CoDA) to estimate the associations with health when reallocating time between different behaviours.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep are associated with cognitive function in older adults. However, these behaviours are not independent, but instead make up exclusive and exhaustive components of the 24-h day. Few studies have investigated associations between 24-h time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, most older adults are not sufficiently active. There is a need to explore approaches to physical activity promotion amongst older adults that meet the personal preferences and needs of participants, and that can be implemented on a large scale in community-based settings. The current study evaluates Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults living in Adelaide, Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: How we spend our time and what we eat have important implications for our health. Evidence suggests that health-equivalent behaviour change options which result in the same benefit are available within both time use (physical activities, sedentary behaviours and sleep) and diet (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeople's perceptions of the mental effort required for everyday activities may drive variation in the relationships between lifestyles and cognitive ability. We asked n = 259 healthy older adults aged 60 to 70 years (90 males, 169 females) to provide a rating of the Perceived Mental Effort (PME) for each activity instance they recalled over a 48-h period as part of a time-use recall. PME was rated on a 9-point scale from "very, very low" (score of 1) to "very, very high" (score of 9).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The 24 h time-use composition of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep is linked to cognitive function in adults and may contribute to future dementia risk. However, the impact of reallocating time between behaviors may differ depending on an individual's genetic dementia risk.
Objective: To explore if there is an interaction between 24 h time-use composition and genetic dementia risk in relation to cognitive function, and to simulate how time-reallocations are associated with cognitive function across different levels of genetic dementia risk.
The relationships between cognitive function and each of physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour in older adults are well documented. However, these three "time use" behaviours are co-dependent parts of the 24-hour day (spending time in one leaves less time for the others), and their best balance for cognitive function in older adults is still largely unknown. This systematic review summarises the existing evidence on the associations between combinations of two or more time-use behaviours and cognitive function in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Approximately 40% of late-life dementia may be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors, including physical activity and diet. Yet, it is currently unknown how multiple lifestyle factors interact to influence cognition. The ACTIVate Study aims to (1) explore associations between 24-hour time-use and diet compositions with changes in cognition and brain function; and (2) identify duration of time-use behaviours and the dietary compositions to optimise cognition and brain function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAgeing Res Rev
March 2021
Combining physical exercise with cognitive training is a popular intervention in dementia prevention trials and guidelines. However, it remains unclear what combination strategies are most beneficial for cognitive and physical outcomes. We aimed to compare the efficacy of the three main types of combination strategies (simultaneous, sequential or exergaming) to either intervention alone or control in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To synthesise the existing literature investigating if acute aerobic exercise enhances the response to experimentally-induced neuroplasticity paradigms.
Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases Medline, PsycInfo and Embase was undertaken on 26 April 2018 and updated on 17 May 2019. Studies were included if they involved a bout of aerobic exercise; prescribed a bout of rest as a control condition; utilized a non-invasive brain stimulation paradigm to induce neuroplasticity; used TMS to assess neuroplasticity outcomes; participants were healthy 18-65year old males and females with no diagnosed neurological/psychological impairments.
As the number of older people increases, so too does the prevalence of neurodegenerative disease. Worldwide, health organisations have identified the need for practical, affordable interventions to slow or delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, for which there are multiple modifiable risk factors. The effects of various interventions on brain health has been investigated, including achieving sufficient physical activity, getting appropriate amounts and quality of sleep, and limiting sedentary behaviours.
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