SedCog
Characterising SEDentary behaviours across the spectrum of COGnitive impairment using digital technology
PhD Student: Jenny Wales
Supervisory Team: Dr Ríona Mc Ardle, Dr Alison Yarnall, Dr Silvia Del Din, Dr Chloe Hinchliffe
Background:
Cognitive impairment describes a range of conditions that impact a person's memory, and behaviour, which may or may not impair their ability to maintain their activities of daily living.Sedentary Behaviours are low-energy behaviours such as sitting, lying down or standing quietly whilst awake. Sedentary behaviours are more common in people with cognitive impairment, and increase the risks of heart diseases, diabetes and death. 
This study aims to:
Qualitatively explore sedentary behaviour's importance to people affected by cognitive impairment and which factors influence it. Conduct a literature search to understand how sedentary behaviour is measured and described in people with cognitive impairment.
Quantitatively identify socioecological influences on sedentary behaviour in people with cognitive impairment, considering psychosocial wellbeing, and local environment. 
We will complete qualitative interviews to understand the importance of sedentary behaviour in people living with cognitive impairment to capture the lived experiences and provide meaningful context to our quantitative results. Our Methods
We will use a novel and validated algorithm to extract and objectively investigate sedentary behaviour outcomes. We will use secondary data from various studies that includes older adults living with cognitive impairment and dementia. Funder: NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Reseearch Centre
Contact: Jenny Wales