A review of reviews: Sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease specific to older people.

Dickins, Kirsten A; Buchholz, Susan W; Rivero, Tania; Miller, Corinne

BACKGROUND The incidence of sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease impacts the health of older people, potentially leading to serious and negative health consequences. AIM The purpose of this umbrella review was to identify the systematic reviews that explore the association between sedentary behaviour and cardiovascular disease specific to older people. METHODS An umbrella review was undertaken to systematically search five databases. Papers included were published between 2011 and 2015. RESULTS A search yielded 2,163 results. Six reviews met the inclusion criteria. While all six systematic reviews included older people in the overall sample, only one systematic review focused on an entirely older person population. Three of the six systematic reviews provided a meta-analysis, but none of the reviews reported a separate subgroup analysis for a discrete sample of older people CONCLUSION: This umbrella review demonstrates that while sedentary behaviour is associated with cardiovascular disease, a gap exists in the analysis on the relationship specific to older persons. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behaviour may improve cardiovascular health and well-being among older people.