The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Throughout the Life Span.
Allison R Webel, Joseph Perazzo, J Craig Phillips and 12 others
PMID 31343620WHAT IT FOUND
Women living with HIV who reported any vigorous activity achieved a higher share of expected six-minute walk distance; men did not show this association.
Key findings
01Participants reported a median of 85 minutes of light activity and 30 minutes of moderate activity over seven days, and men reported more light and moderate activity than women.
02Women who reported any vigorous physical activity in the past week had a 7.31% increase in achieving their age- and sex-predicted 6-minute walk distance; after controlling for covariates, men did not show a similar relationship.
03The ability to achieve age- and sex-predicted 6-minute walk distance improved as age increased, and this persisted after controlling for employment, season, and physical activity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that vigorous activity caused better walk-test performance. Physical activity was self-reported and may have been over- or under-estimated. Cardiorespiratory fitness was estimated from the 6-minute walk test, not maximal stress testing. Participants had to be able to be active without a cane, walker, or wheelchair and had no exercise contraindication, so results may not apply to more disabled people. The sample was mostly in routine HIV care, so findings may not generalise to people not engaged in care. 35 of 737 eligible people were lost to follow-up.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists the study as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. It does not include author conflict-of-interest statements.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 7.31% increase as proof that vigorous exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness in women living with HIV. The study measured activity and fitness at one time, relied on self-reported activity, and did not find the same association in men.