Prevalence and Correlates of Sedentary Behavior Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Predominantly Chinese Evidence.
- 1School of Nursing, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750004, People's Republic of China.
- 2Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region People's Hospital, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750021, People's Republic of China.
- 3School of Nursing, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
This scoping review aimed to map the prevalence, assessment methods, and correlates of sedentary behavior among older adults, in order to inform clinical nursing practice and identify research gaps. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, CINAHL, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and the China Biomedical Literature Database from inception to May 2, 2026. Studies on sedentary behavior among older adults were included, and correlates were synthesized. Twenty-four studies were included. All studies used self-reported measures, comprising 13 types of tools, including the IPAQ and the Teychenne Sedentary Behavior Assessment. Reported prevalence varied widely (23.20%-83.00%), largely reflecting differences in threshold definitions, measurement methods, and populations; when stratified by setting, prevalence was 23.20%-69.80% among community-dwelling older adults and 24.50%-83.00% among hospital- and institution-based populations. The most commonly used threshold was ≥6 h/day (11 studies), with prevalences of 24.50%-72.90%. Correlates were synthesized into six categories within a Social Ecological Model framework: (1) sociodemographic; (2) social support and external environmental; (3) psychological, cognitive, and subjective health; (4) physiological health and physical function; (5) health behavior; and (6) disease- or treatment-context-specific factors. In conclusion, sedentary behavior in older adults is shaped by factors across multiple levels, with the most consistent evidence for physiological and functional factors, general disease burden, psychological and subjective health factors, and health behavior factors; however, these factors should be regarded as correlates rather than causal determinants given the predominance of cross-sectional studies.
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BibTeX
@article{cheng2026prevalence,
title = {{Prevalence and Correlates of Sedentary Behavior Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Predominantly Chinese Evidence.}},
author = {Yingying Cheng and Wenyi Xiao and Chendong Xue and Long Ma and Xiaohui Mu and Haixia Li and Hui Yao},
journal = {Clinical interventions in aging},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.2147/cia.s638475},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999836},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Prevalence and Correlates of Sedentary Behavior Among Older Adults: A Scoping Review of Predominantly Chinese Evidence.
AU - Yingying Cheng
AU - Wenyi Xiao
AU - Chendong Xue
AU - Long Ma
AU - Xiaohui Mu
AU - Haixia Li
AU - Hui Yao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Clinical interventions in aging
DO - 10.2147/cia.s638475
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999836
AB - This scoping review aimed to map the prevalence, assessment methods, and correlates of sedentary behavior among older adults, in order to inform clinical nursing practice and identify research gaps. A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane, CINAHL, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and the China Biomedical Literature Database from inception to May 2, 2026. Studies on sedentary behavior among older adults were included, and correlates were synthesized. Twenty-four studies were included. All studies used self-reported measures, comprising 13 types of tools, including the IPAQ and the Teychenne Sedentary Behavior Assessment. Reported prevalence varied widely (23.20%-83.00%), largely reflecting differences in threshold definitions, measurement methods, and populations; when stratified by setting, prevalence was 23.20%-69.80% among community-dwelling older adults and 24.50%-83.00% among hospital- and institution-based populations. The most commonly used threshold was ≥6 h/day (11 studies), with prevalences of 24.50%-72.90%. Correlates were synthesized into six categories within a Social Ecological Model framework: (1) sociodemographic; (2) social support and external environmental; (3) psychological, cognitive, and subjective health; (4) physiological health and physical function; (5) health behavior; and (6) disease- or treatment-context-specific factors. In conclusion, sedentary behavior in older adults is shaped by factors across multiple levels, with the most consistent evidence for physiological and functional factors, general disease burden, psychological and subjective health factors, and health behavior factors; however, these factors should be regarded as correlates rather than causal determinants given the predominance of cross-sectional studies.
SN - 1176-9092
SN - 1178-1998
ER -