The Impact of Sedentary Behavior and Self-Rated Health on Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer among South Korean Elderly Persons Using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2014–2018 Data

Cardiovascular disease and cancer have increased the risk of mortality and morbidity in elderly persons worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of sedentary behavior and self-rated health with cardiovascular disease or cancer in elderly people. The data of 6785 elderly persons aged above 65 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014–2018 were examined. Binary logistic regression analyses assessed the association of sedentary behavior, self-rated health, and other risk factors with cardiovascular disease or cancer. Prolonged sedentary behavior in elderly people was associated with a high risk for cardiovascular disease (odds ratio (OR): 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08–1.52). There was a high risk for cardiovascular disease (OR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.85–3.01) or cancer (OR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.17–1.88) in elderly people who had poor self-rated health. This study identified the association between prolonged sedentary behavior and cardiovascular disease, and between poor self-rated health and cancer. Since prolonged sedentary behavior is related to cardiovascular disease, efforts are needed to reduce sedentary behavior hours and maintain good self-rated health.