Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2026.009

Sedentary behavior as a discriminator of functional disability among older adults: a cross-sectional study

Daniele Pereira de Santana¹, Lucas dos Santos ORCID...^{1, 2}, Italo Emmanoel Silva e Silva ORCID...¹, Paulo Gonçalves Júnior¹, José Ailton Oliveira Carneiro¹, Thaís Alves Brito¹, Rafael Pereira³, Marcos Henrique Fernandes¹, Lucimere Bohn ORCID...⁴, Jorge Mota ORCID...⁴, Raildo da Silva Coqueiro ORCID...^{1, 4, *}

¹ State University of Southwest Bahia, Department of Health, Center for Studies in Epidemiology of Aging, Jequié, Brazil

² State University of Tocantins, Health Science Complex, Augustinópolis, Brazil

³ State University of Southwest Bahia, Department of Biological Sciences, Integrative Physiology Research Center, Jequié, Brazil

⁴ University of Porto, Faculty of Sports, Research Centre of Physical Activity, Health, and Leisure, Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health, Porto, Portugal

Objectives: To investigate the association between sedentary behavior and functional disability in instrumental activities of daily living among older adults, and to determine the accuracy and optimal cutoff point of sedentary behavior for the discrimination of functional disability.

Methods: This is a population-based, cross-sectional epidemiological survey of 318 older adults (mean age: 74.6 ± 9.7 years old) from Northeastern Brazil. Functional disability in instrumental activities of daily living was assessed using the Lawton scale (presence or absence). Sedentary behavior time was quantified using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results: The prevalence of functional disability was 59.7% (women: 68.5%; men: 48.5%; P = 0.001). The median sedentary behavior time was 4.7 h/day. Each 1 h/day increase in sedentary behavior was associated with a 4% increase in the likelihood of functional disability in women (PR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.07). Furthermore, in women, sedentary behavior demonstrated an accuracy of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.53-0.68), a sensitivity of 23%, and a specificity of 100% (optimal cutoff point: 7.5 h/day).

Conclusion: Sedentary behavior was positively associated with functional disability in instrumental activities of daily living in women but not in men. Additionally, sedentary behavior showed accuracy in discriminating functional disability in women, with the optimal cutoff point identified at 7.5 h/day.

Keywords: Activities of daily living; Aging; Epidemiology; Sedentary lifestyle

Grants and funding:

This research received financial support from the Bahia State Research Foundation, through the Scientific Initiation Grant awarded to Santana DP (Process: 4017/2018).

Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: October 12, 2025; Revised: January 7, 2026; Accepted: January 29, 2026; Prepublished online: January 30, 2026