Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a high level of morbidity. There is limited information about levels of physical activity among community dwelling subjects with the disease and its association with lung function and quality of life. In this study, 176 subjects with COPD were recruited from general practices. Physical activity was measured over 7 days using pedometers, quality-of-life using the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, and lung function using spirometry, 124 subjects, 60% male, aged 70 +/- 8 years were included in the analysis. Physical activity levels were low, median steps/day for males = 3621, IQR = 4247 and for females = 4287, IQR = 3063. Overall physical activity (median steps/day = 3716, IQR = 3682) was significantly associated with the forced expiratory volume in one second (r = 0.39, p < 0.001) and with St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire score (r = -0.28, p < 0.01). In conclusion, we have demonstrated that in a community-based sample of people with COPD, daily physical activity levels were low compared with usual levels reported for the general population. Physical activity was significantly associated with disease severity, measured by lung function, and quality-of-life.
History
Publication title
Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Volume
3
Issue
June
Article number
June
Number
June
Pagination
83-88
ISSN
1541-2555
Department/School
Medicine, Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Inc.
Publication status
Published
Rights statement
The definitive published version is available online at: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals