Comparison of pedometer and activity diary for measurement of physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
OBJECTIVE
Precise, inexpensive tools for measuring physical activity levels are important for developing strategies to improve symptoms and enhance quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Self-report questionnaires and diaries have been used in many populations with variable results. The pedometer is widely recognized as a valid and reliable objective measurement tool, but it has not been well tested in COPD. This study aimed to determine the relationship between free-living physical activity recorded in a daily diary and that measured by using a pedometer in patients with COPD.


METHODS
Participants with COPD (n = 80) recorded physical activity over 7 days. Cumulative pedometer readings and diary records of 4 activity categories for each 0.5 hour were compared.


RESULTS
Participants (n = 76) with complete data sets were included in the analysis. The diary was more reliably completed. Mean pedometer reading per week was 23,129 (SD = 17,083) "step" counts (range, 1,725-66,454). Mean diary-recorded standing and walking time per week was 98.9 (SD = 10.4) hours (range, 73-119.5). The relationship between these measures was moderate and statistically significant (r = 0.37, P = .001).


CONCLUSIONS
A daily diary record appears to offer more promise than the pedometer as a tool for measuring free-living physical activity in patients with COPD. Further research is required to assess the value of the 2 methods as discriminative, evaluative, and predictive tools in COPD populations.
Moore
Rosemary
R
The Northern Clinical Research Centre, Northern Hospital, Epping, Australia.
Berlowitz
David
D
Denehy
Linda
L
Jackson
Bruce
B
McDonald
Christine F
CF
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D011446:Prospective Studies; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014797:Vital Capacity; D016138:Walking