Associations of steps per day and peak cadence with arterial stiffness in older adults.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence showing an inverse association between steps/day and arterial stiffness in adults. However, the relationship of steps/day and peak cadence with arterial stiffness is poorly understood in older adults. This study aimed to investigate the association between steps/day and peak cadence with arterial stiffness in older adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 222 community-dwelling older adults (66 ± 5 years; 81.5% females; 70.3% with hypertension). Arterial stiffness was measured by aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV). Steps/day and peak cadence were assessed by accelerometry. The participants were categorized according to the number of steps/day: sedentary <5000; low active 5000-7499; active 7500-9999; highly active 10,000+. Peak cadence was defined as the average of steps/day of the highest 30 min (not necessarily consecutive) for all valid days. Generalized linear models were used for data analyses. RESULTS: The active (ß = -0.34 m/s, 95% CI -0.60, -0.08) and highly active (ß = -0.51 m/s, 95% CI -0.83, -0.20) groups had lower aPWV compared to the sedentary group. No significant difference was found between the low active group and the sedentary group (ß = -0.21 m/s, 95% CI -0.46, 0.05). Every increment of 1000 steps/day was associated with a decrease of 0.05 m/s in the aPWV (95% CI -0.08, -0.02). Every increment of 10 steps/min in peak 30-min cadence was associated with a decrease of 0.05 m/s in aPWV (95% CI -0.09, -0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that easy-to-use proxies of the volume (steps/day) and intensity (peak cadence) of ambulatory behavior are inversely associated with arterial stiffness in older adults. The inverse association of steps/day and peak cadence with arterial stiffness is dose-response.

Movement Behavior during Pregnancy and Adverse Maternal-Fetal Outcomes in Women with Gestational Diabetes: A Pilot Case-Control Study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major complication in pregnancy. GDM is associated with a higher risk for adverse maternal-fetal outcomes. Associations between movement behavior, including physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB), and maternal-fetal outcomes are still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between movement behavior and adverse maternal-fetal outcomes in women with GDM. A total of 68 women with GDM (20-35 weeks, 32.1 ± 5.8 years) were included in this pilot case-control study. The cases were defined by the presence of an adverse composite maternal-fetal outcome (preterm birth, newborn large for gestational age, and neonatal hypoglycemia). Controls were defined as no adverse maternal-fetal outcome. PA intensities and domains, steps/day (pedometer), and SB were analyzed. A total of 35.3% of participants showed adverse maternal-fetal outcomes (n = 24). The controls showed a higher moderate-intensity PA level than the cases (7.5, 95%CI 3.6-22.9 vs. 3.1, 95%CI 0.4-10.3 MET-h/week; p = 0.04). The moderate-intensity PA level was associated with a lower risk for adverse maternal-fetal outcomes (OR 0.21, 95%CI 0.05-0.91). No significant associations were observed for other PA and SB measures (p > 0.05). In conclusion, moderate-intensity PA during pregnancy seems to have a protective role against adverse maternal-fetal outcomes in women with GDM.