Profile of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease classified as physically active and inactive according to different thresholds of physical activity in daily life.
Karina C Furlanetto, Isabela F S Pinto, Thais Sant'Anna and 2 others
PMID 27683835WHAT IT FOUND
Across three daily-activity thresholds, COPD patients called active walked farther, had better body composition and lung function, and reported less daily-life limitation.
The number called active changed with threshold, so the label depends on the cut-off.
Key findings
01In 104 analysed patients, the share labelled physically active was 35% with the age-specific 30-minute rule, 56% with the 30-minute rule regardless of age, and 27% with the 80-minute rule.
02Patients labelled active had lower weight, BMI, and fat mass and higher fat-free mass, forced vital capacity, six-minute walk distance, and better personal-care function than inactive patients in all three classifications.
03In at least two classifications, active patients also had better lung function, knee-extensor and expiratory muscle strength, activity-related quality of life, BODE risk, and less stable heart disease.
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
This was a cross-sectional comparison of people already classified as active or inactive, so it cannot show that increasing physical activity caused better outcomes. The sample was a convenience sample of 104 analysed patients after 23 of 127 were excluded for incomplete activity data. Activity was measured for only two days, although at least five days are recommended for patients with mild COPD; the sample was mostly severe. Comorbidities, including stable heart disease, were self-reported and may be under- or overestimated. Only three activity thresholds were tested, and the proportion classified as active changed markedly with the threshold.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that more physical activity improves COPD outcomes. The study compared patients who were already classified as active or inactive, and the active label changed with the threshold used.