Cut-offs for daily step counts are associated with measures of health status in people with COPD: An observational study.

Objective

To explore the associations between preestablished daily step count cut-offs and health status, dyspnoea, and psychosocial distress in individuals with COPD.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 252 individuals with COPD. PADL was objectively assessed using a triaxial accelerometer, and participants were categorized as physically active or inactive according to three daily step count cut-offs previously reported for individuals with COPD (4,300, 4,580, and 5000 steps/day). Health status was measured via the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), dyspnoea was assessed via the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, and psychosocial distress was evaluated via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Results

Meeting the cut-off of 5000 steps/day was associated with lower CAT scores and depressive symptoms. Meeting the cut-off of 4300 steps/day was associated with less dyspnoea (mMRC < 2). No significant associations were observed between anxiety symptoms and step count cut-offs. The 4580 steps/day cut-off did not predict health outcomes.

Conclusions

A daily step count of 5000 steps appears to be the most effective threshold for distinguishing between different levels of health status and depressive symptoms in individuals with COPD. These findings suggest that step counts can be used as a clinical health indicator in this population. Future interventional studies are needed to confirm our findings.