Accelerometer-Measured Activity and Disability Trajectories in Older Adults

480 community-dwelling older adults from the National Health and Aging Trends Study were monitored for 7 years using wrist-worn accelerometers to link objective activity patterns with functional disability trajectories. The dataset, created by Jianhui Pan and published in 2026, includes weighted data representing a population of 1.9 million.

Use Cases

• Identify 'Robust', 'Progressive Decline', and 'Persistent Severe Disability' trajectories using Group-Based Trajectory Modeling on 7-year ADL disability data.
• Assess the amplified risk of stroke survivors, who comprised 35% of the severe disability group versus 10% of controls.
• Model the association between average sedentary bout length (aOR 1.15 per 10-minute increase) and adverse functional trajectories.
• Analyze the 'L-shaped' protective association of total activity volume and the 'J-shaped' risk threshold of sedentary time exceeding 700 minutes per day.
• Evaluate how frequent interruptions of sedentary time can offset risks associated with low total activity volume.

Strengths

• Data represents a weighted population of 1.9 million individuals, enhancing generalizability.
• Includes 7 years of longitudinal follow-up data for tracking disability progression.
• Activity metrics are objectively measured via wrist-worn accelerometry, not self-reported.

Limitations

• The unweighted sample size is only 480 individuals, limiting statistical power for rare subgroups.
• Stroke survivors constitute a small proportion of the unweighted sample, potentially affecting subgroup analysis robustness.
• The 492.9 KB file size indicates the dataset is a summary or analysis document, not the raw underlying data.

Provenance

Source

National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS).

Collection Method

Group-Based Trajectory Modeling applied to longitudinal ADL disability data; objective activity profiles captured by wrist-worn accelerometry.

Time Range

7 years of follow-up data.

Freshness

Data was last updated in April 2026, indicating recent analysis.

Geography

United States (community-dwelling older adults).