Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessment of Physical Activity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Textbook of Pulmonary Rehabilitation

  • 2206 Accesses

Abstract

A subjective (questionnaires) or objective (e.g. activity monitors such as step counters, accelerometers and wearable devices) physical activity measurement can be done in several ways. The present chapter describes different methods to measure physical activity in patients with COPD. Several subjective and objective ways of measurement are described, together with their advantages and disadvantages, both for research and clinical practice. In addition, important considerations in the post-processing of physical activity data (e.g. definition of a valid measument) and challenges in the interpretation of physical activity data (e.g. influence of season) are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Caspersen CJ, Powell KE, Christenson GM. Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Rep. 1985;100(2):126–31.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Pitta F, Troosters T, Probst VS, Spruit MA, Decramer M, Gosselink R. Quantifying physical activity in daily life with questionnaires and motion sensors in COPD. Eur Respir J. 2006;27(5):1040–55.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Frei A, Williams K, Vetsch A, Dobbels F, Jacobs L, Rudell K, et al. A comprehensive systematic review of the development process of 104 patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for physical activity in chronically ill and elderly people. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2011;9:116.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Williams K, Frei A, Vetsch A, Dobbels F, Puhan MA, Rudell K. Patient-reported physical activity questionnaires: a systematic review of content and format. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2012;10:28.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Haskell WL, Lee IM, Pate RR, Powell KE, Blair SN, Franklin BA, et al. Physical activity and public health: updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2007;116(9):1081–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Terwee CB, Mokkink LB, van Poppel MN, Chinapaw MJ, van Mechelen W, de Vet HC. Qualitative attributes and measurement properties of physical activity questionnaires: a checklist. Sports Med. 2010;40(7):525–37.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Forsen L, Loland NW, Vuillemin A, Chinapaw MJ, van Poppel MN, Mokkink LB, et al. Self-administered physical activity questionnaires for the elderly: a systematic review of measurement properties. Sports Med. 2010;40(7):601–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Pitta F, Troosters T, Spruit MA, Probst VS, Decramer M, Gosselink R. Characteristics of physical activities in daily life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005;171(9):972–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Troosters T, Sciurba F, Battaglia S, Langer D, Valluri SR, Martino L, et al. Physical inactivity in patients with COPD, a controlled multi-center pilot-study. Respir Med. 2010;104(7):1005–11.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Durante R, Ainsworth BE. The recall of physical activity: using a cognitive model of the question-answering process. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996;28(10):1282–91.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bonnefoy M, Normand S, Pachiaudi C, Lacour JR, Laville M, Kostka T. Simultaneous validation of ten physical activity questionnaires in older men: a doubly labeled water study. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49(1):28–35.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. van Poppel MN, Chinapaw MJ, Mokkink LB, van Mechelen W, Terwee CB. Physical activity questionnaires for adults: a systematic review of measurement properties. Sports Med. 2010;40(7):565–600.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Pitta F, Troosters T, Spruit MA, Decramer M, Gosselink R. Activity monitoring for assessment of physical activities in daily life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005;86(10):1979–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Inc A, Marra C, Giordano A, Calcagni ML, Cappa A, Basso S, et al. Cognitive impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease--a neuropsychological and spect study. J Neurol. 2003;250(3):325–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Garfield BE, Canavan JL, Smith CJ, Ingram KA, Fowler RP, Clark AL, et al. Stanford seven-day physical activity recall questionnaire in COPD. Eur Respir J. 2012;40(2):356–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Donaire-Gonzalez D, Gimeno-Santos E, Serra I, Roca J, Balcells E, Rodriguez E, et al. Validation of the Yale Physical Activity Survey in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Arch Bronconeumol. 2011;47(11):552–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. DePew ZS, Garofoli AC, Novotny PJ, Benzo RP. Screening for severe physical inactivity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the value of simple measures and the validation of two physical activity questionnaires. Chron Respir Dis. 2013;10(1):19–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Demeyer H, Duenas-Espin I, De JC, Louvaris Z, Hornikx M, Gimeno-Santos E, et al. Can health status questionnaires be used as a measure of physical activity in COPD patients? Eur Respir J. 2016;47(5):1565–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Adams SA, Matthews CE, Ebbeling CB, Moore CG, Cunningham JE, Fulton J, et al. The effect of social desirability and social approval on self-reports of physical activity. Am J Epidemiol. 2005;161(4):389–98.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Hebert JR, Clemow L, Pbert L, Ockene IS, Ockene JK. Social desirability bias in dietary self-report may compromise the validity of dietary intake measures. Int J Epidemiol. 1995;24(2):389–98.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Manini TM, Everhart JE, Patel KV, Schoeller DA, Colbert LH, Visser M, et al. Daily activity energy expenditure and mortality among older adults. JAMA. 2006;296(2):171–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Watz H, Pitta F, Rochester CL, Garcia-Aymerich J, ZuWallack R, Troosters T, et al. An official European Respiratory Society statement on physical activity in COPD. Eur Respir J. 2014;44(6):1521–37.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Bravata DM, Smith-Spangler C, Sundaram V, Gienger AL, Lin N, Lewis R, et al. Using pedometers to increase physical activity and improve health: a systematic review. JAMA. 2007;298(19):2296–304.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Watz H. Physical activity. In: Kolb M, Vogelmeier CF, editors. Outcomes in clinical trials, European Respiratory Monographs. Lausanne: European Respiratory Society; 2013. p. 117–26.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Moy ML, Danilack VA, Weston NA, Garshick E. Daily step counts in a US cohort with COPD. Respir Med. 2012;106(7):962–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Furlanetto KC, Bisca GW, Oldemberg N, Sant'anna TJ, Morakami FK, Camillo CA, et al. Step counting and energy expenditure estimation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and healthy elderly: accuracy of 2 motion sensors. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010;91(2):261–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Karabulut M, Crouter SE, Bassett DR Jr. Comparison of two waist-mounted and two ankle-mounted electronic pedometers. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005;95(4):335–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Melanson EL, Knoll JR, Bell ML, Donahoo WT, Hill JO, Nysse LJ, et al. Commercially available pedometers: considerations for accurate step counting. Prev Med. 2004;39(2):361–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Moy ML, Janney AW, Nguyen HQ, Matthess KR, Cohen M, Garshick E, et al. Use of pedometer and Internet-mediated walking program in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2010;47(5):485–96.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Mendoza L, Horta P, Espinoza J, Aguilera M, Balmaceda N, Castro A, et al. Pedometers to enhance physical activity in COPD: a randomised controlled trial. Eur Respir J. 2015;45(2):347–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Moy ML, Collins RJ, Martinez CH, Kadri R, Roman P, Holleman RG, et al. An internet-mediated pedometer-based program improves health-related quality-of-life domains and daily step counts in COPD: a randomized controlled trial. Chest. 2015;148(1):128–37.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Demeyer H, Louvaris Z, Frei A, Rabinovich RA, de Jong C, Gimeno-Santos E, et al. Physical activity is increased by a 12-week semiautomated telecoaching programme in patients with COPD: a multicentre randomised controlled trial. Thorax. 2017;72(5):415–23.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Bahmer T, Kirsten AM, Waschki B, Rabe KF, Magnussen H, Kirsten D, et al. Clinical correlates of reduced physical activity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Respiration. 2016;91(6):497–502.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Bahmer T, Watz H, Waschki B, Gramm M, Magnussen H, Rabe KF, et al. Reduced physical activity in lymphangioleiomyomatosis compared with COPD and healthy controls: disease-specific impact and clinical correlates. Thorax. 2016;71(7):662–3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Bahmer T, Waschki B, Schatz F, Herzmann C, Zabel P, Kirsten AM, et al. Physical activity, airway resistance and small airway dysfunction in severe asthma. Eur Respir J. 2017;49(1):1601827.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Rabinovich RA, Louvaris Z, Raste Y, Langer D, Van RH, Giavedoni S, et al. Validity of physical activity monitors during daily life in patients with COPD. Eur Respir J. 2013;42(5):1205–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Van Remoortel H, Raste Y, Louvaris Z, Giavedoni S, Burtin C, Langer D, et al. Validity of six activity monitors in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a comparison with indirect calorimetry. PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39198.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Case MA, Burwick HA, Volpp KG, Patel MS. Accuracy of smartphone applications and wearable devices for tracking physical activity data. JAMA. 2015;313(6):625–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Matthews CE, Hagstromer M, Pober DM, Bowles HR. Best practices for using physical activity monitors in population-based research. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012;44(1 Suppl 1):S68–76.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Gibbs BB, Hergenroeder AL, Katzmarzyk PT, Lee IM, Jakicic JM. Definition, measurement, and health risks associated with sedentary behavior. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2015;47(6):1295–300.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Demeyer H, Burtin C, Van Remoortel H, Hornikx M, Langer D, Decramer M, et al. Standardizing the analysis of physical activity in patients with COPD following a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Chest. 2014;146(2):318–27.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Steele BG, Holt L, Belza B, Ferris S, Lakshminaryan S, Buchner DM. Quantitating physical activity in COPD using a triaxial accelerometer. Chest. 2000;117(5):1359–67.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Watz H, Waschki B, Meyer T, Magnussen H. Physical activity in patients with COPD. Eur Respir J. 2009;33(2):262–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Hecht A, Ma S, Porszasz J, Casaburi R. Methodology for using long-term accelerometry monitoring to describe daily activity patterns in COPD. COPD. 2009;6(2):121–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Sugino A, Minakata Y, Kanda M, Akamatsu K, Koarai A, Hirano T, et al. Validation of a compact motion sensor for the measurement of physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respiration. 2012;83(4):300–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Waschki B, Spruit MA, Watz H, Albert PS, Shrikrishna D, Groenen M, et al. Physical activity monitoring in COPD: compliance and associations with clinical characteristics in a multicenter study. Respir Med. 2012;106(4):522–30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Sewell L, Singh SJ, Williams JE, Morgan MD. Seasonal variations affect physical activity and pulmonary rehabilitation outcomes. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2010;30(5):329–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Alahmari AD, Mackay AJ, Patel AR, Kowlessar BS, Singh R, Brill SE, et al. Influence of weather and atmospheric pollution on physical activity in patients with COPD. Respir Res. 2015;16:71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  49. Mantoani LC, Rubio N, McKinstry B, MacNee W, Rabinovich RA. Interventions to modify physical activity in patients with COPD: a systematic review. Eur Respir J. 2016;48(1):69–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Butte NF, Ekelund U, Westerterp KR. Assessing physical activity using wearable monitors: measures of physical activity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012;44(1 Suppl 1):S5–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Van Remoortel H, Camillo CA, Langer D, Hornikx M, Demeyer H, Burtin C, et al. Moderate intense physical activity depends on selected Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) cut-off and type of data analysis. PLoS One. 2013;8(12):e84365.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  52. Tudor-Locke C, Craig CL, Thyfault JP, Spence JC. A step-defined sedentary lifestyle index: <5000 steps/day. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013;38(2):100–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Tudor-Locke C, Schuna JM Jr, Barreira TV, Mire EF, Broyles ST, Katzmarzyk PT, et al. Normative steps/day values for older adults: NHANES 2005-2006. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013;68(11):1426–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Demeyer H, Burtin C, Hornikx M, Camillo CA, Van RH, Langer D, et al. The minimal important difference in physical activity in patients with COPD. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0154587.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Gimeno-Santos E, Frei A, Dobbels F, Rudell K, Puhan MA, Garcia-Aymerich J. Validity of instruments to measure physical activity may be questionable due to a lack of conceptual frameworks: a systematic review. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2011;9:86.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  56. Dobbels F, de Jong C, Drost E, Elberse J, Feridou C, Jacobs L, et al. The PROactive innovative conceptual framework on physical activity. Eur Respir J. 2014;44(5):1223–33.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  57. Gimeno-Santos E, Raste Y, Demeyer H, Louvaris Z, de Jong C, Rabinovich RA, et al. The PROactive instruments to measure physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Eur Respir J. 2015;46(4):988–1000.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium

    Heleen Demeyer

  2. Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), IS Global, Barcelona, Spain

    Heleen Demeyer

  3. Pulmonary Research Institute at Lungen Clinic Grosshandorf, Airway Research Center North, German Center for Lung Research, Grosshansdorf, Germany

    Henrik Watz

Authors
  1. Heleen Demeyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henrik Watz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henrik Watz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Modena, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Modena Policlinico, Modena, Italy

    Enrico Clini

  2. Alfred Health and Institute for Breathing and Sleep, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Anne E. Holland

  3. State University of Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

    Fabio Pitta

  4. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Respiratory Division and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Thierry Troosters

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Demeyer, H., Watz, H. (2018). Assessment of Physical Activity. In: Clini, E., Holland, A., Pitta, F., Troosters, T. (eds) Textbook of Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65888-9_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65888-9_8

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65887-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-65888-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation