Abstract
Patterns of sedentary time are a potential risk factor for falls but have been largely unexamined. Women in the prospective OPACH Study (n = 5537; mean age = 78.8 +/-6.7; 44% reported 1+ falls) wore accelerometers for 7 days and kept fall calendars for one-year. Accelerometer sedentary patterns included: alpha (summarizes the frequency and duration of sedentary bouts), sedentary breaks, and mean sedentary bout duration. Negative binomial regression models tested each sedentary pattern variable (in quartiles) in relation to fall counts (adjusted for demographics, health, and physical activity). Higher alpha (more breaks and shorter sedentary bouts) was inversely associated with falls (Q4 vs Q1: IRR, 0.80, 95% CI 0.70, 0.92), whereas mean bout duration was positively associated (IRR, 1.18, 95% CI 1.02, 1.38). There was a trend for lower falls with greater sedentary breaks (p < .07). Changing patterns of sedentary time could be important to reduce fall risk.