Examining the association of physical activity and mortality among recently hospitalized older adults with dementia.
Brittany F Drazich, Nayeon Kim, Merve Gurlu and 4 others
PMID 38996477WHAT IT FOUND
Among 42 older adults with dementia, one month after hospital discharge, more daily movement did not show an association with a lower chance of death over the next year.
The trend was toward less death, but the study was too small to show it.
Key findings
01Time spent in physical activity one month after hospital discharge did not show an association with death within the first year.
02In a measured 24-hour period, participants averaged 247.5 minutes of all physical activity and 1,192.5 minutes of sedentary behavior.
03There was a trend toward lower mortality with more physical activity, but the association was not shown.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 42 of 133 eligible parent-study participants were analysed, and they came from two mid-Atlantic states, so the sample was small and geographically limited. The main analysis did not show a statistically significant association, so the observed trend could be chance. Some participants were in the parent physical activity intervention study, which may have influenced their activity after discharge. Mortality and cause of death were reported by care partners, not official death certificates. The study could not control for additional factors that might affect death, such as delirium and discharge location. Participants had an average SLUMS score of 7.0, indicating severe cognitive impairment, so results may not apply to people with milder dementia. Only the first full 24 hours of a 5-day accelerometer wear were used because some participants removed the watch.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing physical activity after discharge lowers the chance of dying within a year. The study did not show an association in either analysis, and the sample was very small.