Ambulatory but sedentary: impact on cognition and the rest-activity rhythm in nursing home residents with dementia.

Physical activity has been positively associated with cognition and the rest-activity rhythm. In the present study, nursing staff classified ambulatory nursing home residents with moderate dementia either as active (n=42) or as sedentary (n=34). We assessed the rest-activity rhythm by means of actigraphy, and we administered neuropsychological tests to assess cognitive functioning. Compared with the group that was considered sedentary, the group that was considered active had a significantly better rest-activity rhythm, indicating agreement between nursing staff classifications and data gathered by the actigraph. Cognitive function was related neither to active-sedentary classification nor to actigraph measures. Similar ambulatory nursing home residents with dementia may show considerable differences in their level of daily physical activity and in their rest-activity rhythm, but the precise relationship among all variables requires further investigation.