Factors influencing the physical activity in daily life of male patients with different levels of severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Yasuhiko Tsujimura, Tetsuo Hiramatsu, Eiji Kojima and 1 others
PMID 30349159WHAT IT FOUND
Factors linked to daily steps differed by COPD stage.
A daily routine went with higher steps at every stage; stage 4 also tracked mood and quality of life. Daily steps themselves did not differ clearly across stages.
Key findings
01The variables correlated with daily steps differed by stage: stage 2 with walking distance and physical health, stage 3 with walking distance, physical health, and depression, and stage 4 with all measured variables.
02At every stage, patients with a daily routine (housework, work, or hobby) had significantly higher daily steps than patients without one.
03Daily steps tended to decrease with severity, but the difference across stages was not significant (p=0.08).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
All participants were male, so the results do not apply to women with COPD. The sample was small, with 71 patients total and 17 to 28 patients per stage. The study measured correlations, not assigned treatments, so it cannot show what causes higher daily steps. Daily steps did not differ significantly across stages, so stage alone did not explain the activity differences. A daily routine was defined broadly as housework every day or work or a hobby more than 3 days per week, so it may not capture the same activities for all patients. Summer and winter were excluded, so seasonal patterns of activity were not represented. Participants came from one hospital clinic, which may limit how broadly the results apply.
Declared interests
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors, and the authors report no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that establishing a daily routine will increase a patient's steps. The study only compared patients who already had a routine with patients who did not, and it did not test assigning routines.