Potential metabolic and functional benefits of a comprehensive evaluation of physical activities for Canadian adults

Few older adults in Canada reach the recommendation for exercise at moderate intensity and resistance training aiming to maintain or improve functional and metabolic health. These however exclude the possible functional benefits of activities done at low intensity (e.g., chores) or neglect the possible impact of sitting. The purpose of this study is to evaluate comprehensive approaches to assess physical activity and their association between functional and metabolic health compared with the current guidelines. We will be using baseline information from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging cohort. Different physical activities indexes (e.g., exercise divided by sitting time) will be created using the PASE questionnaire. All reported activities will be transformed on a common unit (METs/min/week) that include frequency, intensity and duration. When evaluating what should be recommended for adults in terms of physical activity to improve metabolic and functional health, a comprehensive approach might be required, and this study will help to determine that approach.

Currently there is a 24-hour guide for physical activity within Canadian youth. This study helps open the conversation to similar guides being implemented for adults and older adults and shows that there may be benefit to regarding physical activity more broadly in the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Additionally, it highlights the implications of subjective measures for physical activity and the needs for objective measures within health databases.