Sitting Time and Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Population-Based Study

Background: Quality of life is influenced by several factors and one aspect that has been negatively associated with health is sedentary behavior. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sitting time and quality of life in older adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted with individuals >= 60 years old residing in 24 Brazilian municipalities. Total sitting time was evaluated according to self-report of sitting time on a regular weekday and usual weekend day. The quality of life was evaluated by the WHOQOL-BREF and WHOQOL-OLD instruments. Results: 3206 older adults were analyzed. In the univariate logistic regression analysis, all domain and facets of quality of life were associated to the longest sitting time; however, in the multivariate analysis, only the physical domain and the social participation facet remained significant in the model. After adjustment for sex, age group, education and regular practice of physical activity, longest sitting time remained associated with the lowest score for the physical domain (OR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.39-2.34) and social participation facet (OR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.10-1.84). Conclusion: In this study, older adults who sat the most presented the worst scores in the physical domain and social participation facet of quality of life.