Physical activity behaviour in people with asthma and COPD overlap residing in Spain: A cross-sectional analysis

Objectives: To identify levels of physical activity (PA) among the Spanish population with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap (ACO). A further aim was to analyse differences in PA levels by sex, age, education, marital status, cohabiting, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and body mass index (BMI). Methods: In this cross sectional study, data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were analysed. A total of 198 people with ACO aged 15-69 years were included in the analyses. The short version of the international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure total PA (MET·min/week). PA was further classified as low, moderate and high, and analysed according to sample characteristics. Data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and chi squared test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: People with ACO engaged in a mean volume of 2038.1 MET·min/week. Those aged 30-60 years and those with normal weight were significantly more active than those aged ≥60 and those with obesity. When classifying PA level in low, moderate and high, results showed no significant differences between sample characteristics. Overall, moderate and high levels of PA were the most and least frequent levels (48.0% and 16.2%, respectively). Conclusions: More than three out of ten Spanish adults with ACO do not achieve PA recommendations. Therefore, it is recommendable to implement programs to promote the importance and benefits of PA among the Spanish population with ACO, and such programs should focus on older adults and those who are obese.