Association between physical activity and dynapenia in adults aged 80 years and older at the Peruvian Naval Medical Center Hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21142/mecp.2026.1.1.e010Keywords:
Sedentary behavior, Muscle strength, Elderly, Sarcopenia, ComorbidityAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the association between physical activity and dynapenia in adults aged 80 years and older at the Peruvian Naval Medical Center Hospital from 2010 to 2015. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in adults aged 80 and older at the Peruvian Naval Medical Center Hospital. The exposure variable was physical activity, assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), and the outcome variable was dynapenia, defined according to handgrip strength cut-off points (< 27kg in men and < 16 kg in women). Both variables were measured at a single point. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: The analysis revealed a low physical activity prevalence of 54.37% (n=460) and a dynapenia prevalence of 46.81% (n=396). Of the participants, the majority were found in the age group of 80 to 89 years (74.35%, n=629), and 63.83% were male (n=540). Additionally, in an adjusted model, low physical activity was associated with a 1.29-fold higher prevalence of dynapenia (95% CI: 1.11–1.50) compared to participants with adequate physical activity. Conclusions: Low physical activity was significantly associated with dynapenia among adults aged 80 years and older in this cross-sectional study. Further longitudinal research is needed to clarify the temporal relationship between low physical activity and muscle strength decline.
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