Physical Activity Behaviour in People with COPD Residing in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents a major public health problem due to its high prevalence, morbidity and health cost. It has been demonstrated that physical activity (PA) is one of the most beneficial measures to prevent chronic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine PA levels of adults with COPD residing in Spain, and to analyse the differences by sex, age, education, marital status, cohabiting, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption and body mass index.

A total of 615 adults aged 15 to 69 years participated in this study. Data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were used. This survey included the short version of IPAQ to measure PA levels. PA was expressed in total volume (MET·min/week), classified as low, moderate and high, and analysed according to sample characteristics. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 (CI = 95%).

Level of PA was higher in men than in women (1808.8 vs. 1575.6 MET·min/week; p = 0.016), in those aged under 30 years than in those older than 60 years (2129.4 vs. 1381.4 MET·min/week; p = 0.047) and in those who drank alcohol than in those who did not drink (1912.8 vs. 1248.2 MET·min/week; p = 0.004). Also, underweight and obese participants participated in lower levels of PA than normal weight participants (p= 0.001). When classifying PA level, a total of 37.9% had a low level, 47.5% had a moderate level and only 14.6% had a high level of PA (p < 0.001).

It is recommendable to implement programs to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of PA in the control of COPD, and these programs should focus on those with lower levels of PA.