Physical activity monitoring in COPD: Compliance and associations with clinical characteristics in a multicenter study

Waschki, Benjamin; Spruit, Martijn A.; Watz, Henrik; Albert, Paul S.; Shrikrishna, Dinesh; Groenen, Miriam; Smith, Cayley; Man, William D.-C.; Tal-Singer, Ruth; Edwards, Lisa D.; Calverley, Peter M.A.; Magnussen, Helgo; Polkey, Michael I.; Wouters, Emiel F.M.

doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2011.10.022

« Previous Next »Respiratory Medicine
Volume 106, Issue 4 , Pages 522-530, April 2012

Physical activity monitoring in COPD: Compliance and associations with clinical characteristics in a multicenter study☆

Benjamin Waschki
- Pulmonary Research Institute at Hospital Grosshansdorf, Center for Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Woehrendamm 80, D-22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 4102 8881 136; fax: +49 4102 8881 113.
- Both authors contributed equally to this work.
Martijn A. Spruit
- Program Development Centre, CIRO+, A Centre of Expertise for Chronic Organ Failure, Horn-Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Both authors contributed equally to this work.
Henrik Watz
- Pulmonary Research Institute at Hospital Grosshansdorf, Center for Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Woehrendamm 80, D-22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany
Paul S. Albert
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK
Dinesh Shrikrishna
- NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College, London, UK
Miriam Groenen
- Program Development Centre, CIRO+, A Centre of Expertise for Chronic Organ Failure, Horn-Maastricht, The Netherlands
Cayley Smith
- NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College, London, UK
William D.-C. Man
- NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College, London, UK
Ruth Tal-Singer
- GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA, USA
Lisa D. Edwards
- GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
Peter M.A. Calverley
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK
Helgo Magnussen
- Pulmonary Research Institute at Hospital Grosshansdorf, Center for Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Woehrendamm 80, D-22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany
Michael I. Polkey
- NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College, London, UK
- Joint senior authors.
Emiel F.M. Wouters
- Program Development Centre, CIRO+, A Centre of Expertise for Chronic Organ Failure, Horn-Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Joint senior authors.

Received 11 August 2011; accepted 31 October 2011. published online 28 November 2011.

Summary

Background

Little is known about COPD patients’ compliance with physical activity monitoring and how activity relates to disease characteristics in a multi-center setting.

Methods

In a prospective study at three Northern European sites physical activity and clinical disease characteristics were measured in 134 COPD patients (GOLD-stage II–IV; BODE index 0–9) and 46 controls. Wearing time, steps per day, and the physical activity level (PAL) were measured by a multisensory armband over a period of 6 consecutive days (in total, 144h). A valid measurement period was defined as ≥22 h wearing time a day on at least 5 days.

Results

The median wearing time was 142 h:17 min (99%), 141 h:1min (98%), and 142 h:24 min (99%), respectively in the three centres. A valid measurement period was reached in 94%, 97%, and 94% of the patients and did not differ across sites (P = 0.53). The amount of physical activity did not differ across sites (mean steps per day, 4725 ± 3212, P = 0.58; mean PAL, 1.45 ± 0.20, P = 0.48). Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed significant associations of FEV₁, 6-min walk distance, quadriceps strength, fibrinogen, health status, and dyspnoea with both steps per day and PAL. Previously unrecognized correlates of activity were grade of fatigue, degree of emphysema, and exacerbation rate.

Conclusions

The excellent compliance with wearing a physical activity monitor irrespective of study site and consistent associations with relevant disease characteristics support the use of activity monitoring as a valid outcome in multi-center studies.

Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Physical activity, Disease markers, Clinical studies