Physical activity and sedentary time are related to clinically relevant health outcomes among adults with obstructive lung disease

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the current study was to determine the association between sedentary time and physical activity with clinically relevant health outcomes among adults with impaired spirometry and those with or without self-reported obstructive lung disease (asthma or COPD). METHODS: Data from participants of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were used for analysis (n = 4156). Lung function was assessed using spirometry. Adults were said to have impaired spirometry if their Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s was <5th percentile lower limit of normal (LLN). A modified version of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly was used to assess sitting time and physical activity levels. Healthcare use and quality of life outcomes were assessed using self report. RESULTS: Among those with asthma, participating in strengthening activities was associated with lower odds of reporting poor perceived health (OR = 0.65, CI: 0.53, 0.79), poor perceived mental-health (OR = 0.73, CI: 0.60, 0.88), unhealthy aging (OR = 0.68, CI: 0.56, 0.83), and reporting an emergency department visit in the past 12 months (OR = 0.76, CI: 0.60, 0.95). Among those with COPD, those who reported highest weekly sedentary time had higher odds of reporting poor perceived health (OR = 2.70, CI: 1.72, 4.24), poor perceived mental-health (OR = 1.99, CI: 1.29, 3.06), and unhealthy aging (OR = 3.04, CI: 1.96, 4.72). Among those below the LLN, sitting time (OR = 2.57, CI: 1.40, 4.72) and moderate intensity physical activity (OR = 0.23, CI: 0.09, 0.63) were associated with overnight hospital stays. CONCLUSIONS: Higher physical activity levels and lower sedentary time may be associated with lower healthcare use and better quality of life. This research may have implications related to the use of physical activity for improving health outcomes and quality of life among adults with obstructive lung disease or impaired spirometry. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12890-018-0659-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.