Physical Activity Levels and Sedentary Behavior of People Living With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Thigh-Worn Accelerometers

Community-dwelling people with Mild Cognitive Impairment self-reporting not to be meeting recommended physical activity levels participated in this study to (a) determine compliance of wearing (thigh-worn) accelerometers, (b) describe physical activity levels and sedentary behavior, and (c) determine the validity of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) compared with activPAL accelerometers. A total of 79 people had valid accelerometer data (median [interquartile range]: age, 71 [54–75] years). Compliance was 86.81%. Participants were sedentary for 10.6 hr per day and engaged in a median of 9 min per day of moderate-intensity physical activity. Fair correlations were found between the PASE and total stepping time per day (r = .35, p < .01), total number of steps per day (r = .36, p < .01), and number of steps in stepping activities completed for ≤1 min (r = .42, p < .01). The PASE and Standing time (r = .04, p = .724) and PASE and Sitting time (r = .04, p = .699) had little to no relationship. The use of thigh-worn accelerometers for this population is achievable. People with Mild Cognitive Impairment have high levels of sedentary behavior and minimal engagement in moderate-intensity physical activity. The PASE has fair, positive criterion validity with activity-based outcomes measured by activPAL accelerometers but not with sedentary behavior, which is high for this population.