Objective physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns among informal carers in the BCS70 cohort

While the health benefits of physical activity (PA) and reduced sedentary behaviour (SB) are well established, informal carers remain an under-researched group. Despite being known to face many barriers to PA, informal carers’ activity levels remain unclear due to mixed findings from previous research. Specifically, objective PA and SB levels of informal carers in Great Britain are currently unknown. The aim of this study was to examine PA and SB among informal carers using accelerometer data from the ‘Age 46’ Survey of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). Analyses of Covariance and Logistic Regressions were performed to: (i) compare carers’ and non-carers’ PA and SB, (ii) examine the impact of caring hours on PA and SB, and (iii) identify predictors of adherence to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ PA guidelines. After adjusting for covariates, (i) no differences were observed in PA or SB outcomes between carers and non-carers (p > 0.05) (e.g., mean daily step count 9316.06 vs. 9554.11 and mean sitting time 1.09 h/day vs. 1.19 h/day, respectively). (ii) Caring hours were not associated with differences in PA or SB (p > 0.05). (iii) Logistic regressions revealed very low adherence to PA guidelines among carers: 2% met the moderate-to-vigorous PA guideline, 26% met the muscle-strengthening guideline, and only 1% met the combined recommendations. Demographic and health variables did not explain adherence to these guidelines. This study found no significant differences in objectively measured PA and SB between informal carers and non-carers or caring hours. However, adherence to the UK CMOs’ PA guidelines among carers was extremely low. These findings provide the first objective benchmark of carers’ PA and SB patterns in Great Britain and highlight guideline adherence as a key area for future interventions. Future research should consider the wider context of caring in order to develop flexible, tailored interventions that can support carers in achieving an active lifestyle whilst managing responsibilities.