Association of physical activity levels and sedentary behavior with dynapenia in older adults: A population-based study

Objective To analyze the association between physical activity (PA) levels—both independently and in combination with sedentary behavior (SB)—and dynapenia in older adults. Methods This was a cross-sectional, population-based epidemiological study involving 459 older adults residing in Alcobaça, Bahia, Brazil. PA and SB were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), allowing the classification of participants into four groups: G1) sufficiently active with low SB; G2) sufficiently active with high SB; G3) insufficiently active with low SB; and G4) insufficiently active with high SB. Dynapenia was diagnosed based on handgrip strength, using cut-off points of <27 Kilogram-Force (kgf) for men and <16 Kilogram-Force (kgf) for women. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Poisson regression with robust variance were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), adopting a significance level of 5%. Results The mean age of women and men were 70.2 ± 8.2 years. The overall prevalence of dynapenia was 16%. Older adults in Group G4 showed a significantly higher probability of dynapenia (PR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.58–3.11) compared to other groups. Conclusion PA was associated with a lower prevalence of dynapenia, whereas SB was significantly associated with an increased risk. Therefore, replacing sedentary time with moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity can contribute to better levels of muscle strength, a relevant component for performing basic and instrumental activities of daily living.