TOPLINE:

Among patients with cardiac diseases and depressive symptoms, longer sedentary time was associated with worse cognitive function among those living in more rural areas but not among people living in suburban or urban areas.

METHODOLOGY:

• In this secondary analysis, researchers investigated the impact of prolonged sedentary time on cognitive function by rurality in patients with heart disease and depressive symptoms.
• They included 135 adults older than 21 years (mean age, 59 years; 47.4% men) with a history of coronary heart disease or heart failure. Most participants were from rural Kentucky and had at least mild symptoms of depression.
• Average daily sedentary time was measured using accelerometers worn on the wrist.
• Cognitive function was assessed remotely using scores from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Blind between May 2021 and September 2022.
• According to the degree of rurality determined using relevant codes, 89 patients were classified as living in less rural areas and 46 in more rural areas.

TAKEAWAY:

• Daily sedentary time ranged from 3.2 to 13.3 hours, with an average of 7.9 hours per day.
• Sedentary time was associated with cognitive function (P = .019), and this association was moderated by the degree of rurality (interaction term, 0.006; P = .022).
• In patients living in more rural areas, longer sedentary time was significantly linked to worse cognitive function (B, -0.006; P = .019). Each additional 100 minutes of sedentary time per day was linked to a 0.6-point decrease in the score for cognitive function.
• Patients living in less rural areas showed no significant relationship between sedentary time and cognitive function.

IN PRACTICE:

“Targeted strategies to interrupt sedentary time could be particularly beneficial for rural cardiac populations experiencing depressive symptoms, ultimately helping to improve cognitive health in these communities,” the study authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Chin-Yen Lin, PhD, RN, of the College of Nursing at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. It was published online on November 2, 2025, in the Journal of Rural Health.

LIMITATIONS:

The data were collected virtually, and certain cognitive evaluations were missing. The patients were mostly White individuals (97%) and from rural Kentucky, limiting generalizability of the findings. The results may not apply to patients without depression or with more severe cognitive problems. 

DISCLOSURES:

This study received support from Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.