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Association of Accelerometer-Measured Light-Intensity Physical Activity With Brain Volume: The Framingham Heart Study
Spartano NL, Davis-Plourde KL, Himali JJ, Andersson C, Pase MP, Maillard P, DeCarli C, Murabito JM et al.. JAMA network open, 2019-04-05
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Importance Dementia risk may be attenuated by physical activity (PA); however, the specific activity levels optimal for dementia prevention are unclear. Moreover, most older adults are unable to meet the nationally recommended PA guidelines, set at 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA per week. Objective To assess the association of total steps walked per day and total dose (intensity × duration) of PA with brain volumes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among Framingham Heart Study participants.
Key findings
- Moreover, most older adults are unable to meet the nationally recommended PA guidelines, set at 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA per week.
- Objective To assess the association of total steps walked per day and total dose (intensity × duration) of PA with brain volumes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) among Framingham Heart Study participants.
- Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional, community-based cohort study of the association of accelerometry-determined PA with brain MRI measures in Framingham, Massachusetts, included the Framingham Heart Study third-generation (examination 2, 2008-2011) and offspring (examination 9, 2011-2014) cohorts.
- Of 4021 participants who agreed to wear an accelerometer and had valid data (≥10 hours/day for ≥3 days), 1667 participants who did not undergo brain MRI (n = 1604) or had prevalent dementia or stroke (n = 63) were excluded.
Why it matters
This study examined whether daily steps and light-intensity physical activity relate to brain volumes on MRI in Framingham Heart Study participants. It is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that physical activity prevents dementia.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants1,604
- Effect size54.2%; 46.7%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 67/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA network open) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Network Open: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,604 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 132 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.7 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 11.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 38 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Sudha S. Seshadri: h-index 148 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Boston University: institution h-index 1,456 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 8 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31002329) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 67 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.2745
- PubMed: 31002329
- Original source →
- Free full text: JAMA Network Open →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Spartano, N. L., Davis-Plourde, K. L., Himali, J. J., Andersson, C., Pase, M. P., Maillard, P., et al. (2019). Association of Accelerometer-Measured Light-Intensity Physical Activity With Brain Volume: The Framingham Heart Study. JAMA network open. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.2745
Vancouver
Spartano NL, Davis-Plourde KL, Himali JJ, Andersson C, Pase MP, Maillard P, et al. Association of Accelerometer-Measured Light-Intensity Physical Activity With Brain Volume: The Framingham Heart Study. JAMA network open. 2019. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.2745. PMID: 31002329.
BibTeX
@article{spartano2019-31002329,
author = {Spartano, N. L. and Davis-Plourde, K. L. and Himali, J. J. and Andersson, C. and Pase, M. P. and Maillard, P. and DeCarli, C. and Murabito, J. M. and others},
title = {{Association of Accelerometer-Measured Light-Intensity Physical Activity With Brain Volume: The Framingham Heart Study}},
journal = {JAMA network open},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.2745},
pmid = {31002329},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.2745}
}
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