Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With a Spinal Cord Injury in Australia

Laura Stendell; Peter W Stubbs; Kris Rogers; Arianne P Verhagen; James W Middleton; Glen M Davis; Mohit Arora; Ruth Marshall; Timothy Geraghty; Andrew Nunn; Camila Quel de Oliveira

doi:10.3389/ijph.2024.1607276

Leisure-Time Physical Activity Participation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With a Spinal Cord Injury in Australia

Int J Public Health. 2024 Jul 3:69:1607276. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1607276. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Laura Stendell¹, Peter W Stubbs¹, Kris Rogers², Arianne P Verhagen¹, James W Middleton^{3

4}, Glen M Davis⁵, Mohit Arora^{3

4}, Ruth Marshall^{6

7}, Timothy Geraghty^{8

9}, Andrew Nunn¹⁰, Camila Quel de Oliveira¹

Affiliations

¹ Discipline of Physiotherapy, Graduate School of Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
² Graduate School of Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
³ John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Sydney Local Health District, St Leonards, NSW, Australia.
⁴ The Kolling Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁶ Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁷ South Australian Spinal Cord Injury Service, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁸ The Hopkins Centre, Metro South Health and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
⁹ Queensland Spinal Cord Injuries Service, Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
¹⁰ Victorian Spinal Cord Service, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Objectives: Adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) are often sedentary, increasing their risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Leisure-time Physical Activity (LTPA) is physical activity completed during recreation time for enjoyment. We aimed to quantify LTPA in people ≥45 years with SCI and to explore its relationship with participants' characteristics.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis on a subset of the Australian International SCI Survey in participants ≥45 years, at least 12 months post-injury. We described levels of LTPA and used multivariable regressions to estimate the associations between participant characteristics and LTPA.

Results: Of 1,281 participants (mean age: 62.7 years, mean time since injury: 18.7 years; 74% males) 44% reported no participation in LTPA. The average LTPA participation was 197 (SD 352) minutes per week (median: 50). Females (β = -62.3, 95% CI [-112.9, -11.7]), and participants with non-traumatic injuries (β = -105.2, 95% CI [-165.9, -44.6]) performed less LTPA. Time since injury was not associated with moderate-to-heavy LTPA (LR: Probability > F = 0.785).

Conclusion: LTPA promotion in the SCI population ≥45 years focusing on females and non-traumatic injuries is warranted.

Keywords: leisure-time physical activity; middle-aged; older adult; physical activity; spinal cord injury.

MeSH terms

Aged
Australia
Exercise*
Female
Humans
Leisure Activities*
Male
Middle Aged
Spinal Cord Injuries* / epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

The authors declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Four state-based organisations contributed funding to undertake the Aus-InSCI survey. The coordinating National Study Centre in New South Wales based at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research at The University of Sydney received funding from Insurance and Care NSW (icare NSW). The site in Victoria received a grant from the Spinal Research Institute (SRI) and Australasian Spinal Cord Injury Network Ltd. (voluntarily revoked, effective 31 July 2019). The site in South Australia received funding from Lifetime Support Authority South Australia. The site in Queensland was supported by the Division of Rehabilitation, Princess Alexandra Hospital, The Hopkins Centre, and Griffith University. The funding organisations do not take direct responsibility for any of the following: study design, data collection, drafting of the manuscript, or decision to publish.