title: Is walking in daily life a moderate intensity activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  So far there are no studies investigating whether the time spent walking in daily life by patients with COPD corresponds to an activity of at least moderate intensity according to the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To quantify in patients with COPD the time spent/day in physical activity of at least moderate intensity according to the ACSM (TPA>moderate); and to compare their TPA>moderate with the total time spent walking/day in daily life (TW).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients entering in a pulmonary rehabilitation program at a University Hospital in Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three patients with COPD (FEV1 40±15% pred; 65±9 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  TW and TPA>moderate were respectively assessed with the DynaPort and SenseWear activity monitors for 12 hours/day during 2 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was significant difference between TW and TPA>moderate (53 [36-80] versus 12 [3-33] minutes/day, respectively; P<0.0001). Although 84% of patients reached more than 30 minutes/day of TW, only 29% reached more than 30 minutes/day of TPA>moderate. TPA>moderate correlated modestly with TW (r= 0.52; P<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of patients with moderate-very severe COPD walk more than 30 minutes/day; however this does not mean that they are physically active, since less than 1/4 of their time spent walking can be considered as moderate-intensity activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Moderate-intensity physical activity in patients with COPD is more reduced than previously known. There is a clear need to increase their daily physical activity and lead a higher proportion of this population to comply with the minimum recommendations.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pesquisa in Pulmonary Physiotherapy, Department of Physiotherapy, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vitorasso
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Camillo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cavalheri
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aparecida Hernandes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cortez Verceze
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sant'Anna
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira Monteiro
authors.forename: E M C
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pitta
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*