The Patterns of Physical Activity Using Latent Profile Analysis Applied to Accelerometry and Associated Sociodemographic and Health Factors Among Older Adults in Korea.

Background/objectives: Although lower physical activity (PA) intensity and shorter duration are deemed appropriate for older adults, it remains unclear whether lighter intensity PA can be a significant characteristic of PA patterns. This study explored the underlying profile of PA patterns including lifestyle intensity assessed by accelerometry and associated sociodemographic factors among individuals aged ≥65 years.

Methods: Using data from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, this study included 425 participants aged ≥65 years who wore an accelerometer for ≥10 hr/day, ≥3 days/week, over 1 week. To identify PA groups, latent profile analysis was conducted using the time spent in sedentary, light, lifestyle, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Multinomial logistic regression was performed to analyze sociodemographic factors influencing latent profiles.

Results: Four profiles were identified, with lifestyle PA and MVPA as the key distinguishing patterns: high lifestyle PA, high MVPA, low overall PA, and average PA profiles. Compared with the average PA profile, older age and higher education lowered engagement in the high lifestyle PA profile, whereas better subjective health was positively associated. The high MVPA profile was positively associated with being men, whereas metabolic syndrome was negatively associated.

Conclusions: The high lifestyle PA profile emerged as a novel discovery, considering the characteristics of older adults' PA. Rather than applying a uniform approach, a tailored approach to PA patterns for older adults is crucial. Significance/Implications: These findings underscore the importance of focusing on lifestyle-intensity activities such as casual walking and stretching in health promotion for older adults.