Gender moderates the effects of exercise therapy on health-related quality of life among COPD patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether long-term treatment with exercise therapy results in more favorable, disease-specific, health-related quality of life (HRQL) compared with short-term treatment with exercise therapy; and to determine whether there are gender differences in disease-specific HRQL among individuals randomized into the two treatment groups.


METHODS
Randomized clinical trial.


METHODS
Center-based exercise therapy unit at a university.


METHODS
One hundred forty patients with COPD; 118 completed trial.


METHODS
Short-term exercise therapy (3 months); long-term exercise therapy (18 months).


METHODS
Chronic Disease Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ).


RESULTS
After 3 months of treatment, there were significant improvements in all CRQ scores for men and women (p < 0.01), and for the total sample (p < 0.01). At 18 months, individuals randomized into the long-term group had significantly more favorable scores than the short-term group for dyspnea (p = 0.03), fatigue (p < 0.01), emotional function (p = 0.04), and mastery (p = 0.04). However, these effects were moderated by gender. That is, men in the long-term group reported significantly more favorable scores than men in the short-term group for dyspnea (0.04), fatigue (p < 0.001), emotional function (p = 0.02), and mastery (p = 0.02). At the 18-month assessment, there were no differences between long-term and short-term exercise therapy for women on any of the subscales of the CRQ.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken collectively, the CRQ data demonstrate that long-term exercise therapy has little added benefit for women over short-term exercise therapy; however, men derive significant benefits from extended training.
Foy
C G
CG
Department of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Rejeski
W J
WJ
Berry
M J
MJ
Zaccaro
D
D
Woodard
C M
CM
D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D014797:Vital Capacity