Timed "up and go" to identify physically inactive individuals with interstitial lung disease

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Gerontology

Background:

• Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with reduced physical activity.
• Assessing daily physical activity in ILD patients is crucial for management.
• The timed up and go (TUG) test is a simple measure of functional mobility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between TUG test performance and physical activity in daily life (PADL) in ILD patients.
• To establish a TUG cutoff point for identifying physically inactive individuals with ILD.

Main Methods:

• Participants with ILD underwent TUG tests (usual and fast pace).
• PADL was measured using activity monitors over six days, assessing steps, activity intensity, and posture.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine TUG cutoffs for inactivity (defined as <5,000 steps/day or <30 min/day moderate-to-vigorous physical activity).

Main Results:

• TUG tests showed moderate correlations with daily steps and light/moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
• A TUGusual cutoff of ≥9.25 seconds identified individuals with <5,000 steps/day (AUC: 0.73).
• A TUGusual cutoff of ≥7.9 seconds identified individuals with <30 min/day MVPA (AUC: 0.85).
• Worse TUGusual performance correlated with lower muscle strength, exercise capacity, and PADL.

Conclusions:

• TUG test performance is moderately linked to PADL in ILD patients.
• A TUGusual score of ≥9.25 seconds can effectively identify physically inactive individuals with ILD.