Daily physical activity is one of the strongest predictors of survival for patients with COPD. But for many, the symptoms associated with COPD — breathlessness, functional limitations and poor tolerance for exercise — make it difficult to meet the conventional guidelines of 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity.
However, a paper, “A23-08 Light Physical Activity and Survival in Patients With COPD,” suggests that even light physical activity can still provide benefits and increase survival rates. The paper was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Participants in the large cohort study wore the Actigraph GT3X-BT, a tri-axial wrist accelerometer, for seven days. At the 72-month follow-up, 67.3% of participants were alive, while 32.5% were deceased. Survival at 72 months was assessed through the National Death Index Inquiry and confirmed by medical records.
Researchers used a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis model to determine cut points — numerical thresholds used to categorize data into groups — for each category as follows:
· 17 minutes per day of moderate physical activity
· Two 10-minute periods per day of moderate-to-vigorous activity
· 296 minutes per day of light physical activity
The study found that 17 minutes of moderate physical activity per day provided a 58% boost in survival benefits. This survival benefit remained consistent across the other two cut points, demonstrating that light physical activity can contribute to survival rates, even though that contribution may not be as high as moderate-to-vigorous activity.
The researchers noted this is the first study to document the benefits of light physical activity in patients with COPD.
“Our results represent a breath of fresh air, suggesting that simple and meaningful (to the patient) light activities may provide a survival benefit,” they wrote.
