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Published on: August 24, 2019
Daily step counts in a US cohort with COPD
Marilyn L Moy1, Valery A Danilack, Nicole A Weston
1Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, USA. marilyn.moy@va.gov
Respiratory Medicine
|April 24, 2012
Summary
Daily step counts in adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) decrease over time, influenced by season. This research provides accurate measurement insights for future COPD studies.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Physical Activity Measurement
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Limited data exists on daily step counts in US adults with COPD.
- Accurate measurement, natural changes, and relationships with COPD severity are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To accurately measure daily step counts in COPD patients.
- To assess changes in step counts over time and their relationship with COPD severity.
Main Methods:
- 127 stable COPD patients wore the StepWatch Activity Monitor (SAM) for 14 days.
- Follow-up monitoring occurred a median of 3.9 months later for 102 patients.
- Accuracy of SAM was compared to manual counts; changes and associations with clinical measures were assessed.
Main Results:
- The StepWatch Activity Monitor (SAM) demonstrated >90% accuracy.
- Average daily step count was 5680, decreasing with increased COPD severity (GOLD stage).
- Step counts declined by 645 steps/day at follow-up, partly due to seasonal effects.
Conclusions:
- Accurate daily step counts in COPD patients decline over time.
- Seasonal variations partially explain the decline in physical activity.
- Daily step counts provide unique information relevant to COPD status and study design.
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