Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep of Sri Lankan adults living with COPD: cross-sectional study

Introduction: 24-hour physical behaviours comprise physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour (SB), and sleep. Despite the benefits of being physically active, less sedentary and having good quality of sleep, there are no data available for adults with COPD in Sri Lanka1.

Aims: The study aimed to describe the PA, SB and sleep quality of Sri Lankan adults living with COPD.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 100 adults with COPD from the Central Chest Clinic, National Hospital of Sri Lanka. PA and SB were assessed using ActiGraph wGT3x-BT accelerometer, worn for 7 days during waking hours, and self-reported sleep quality via Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). SB was classified as ≤100cpm. PA was classified as light (100-2019cpm), moderate (2020-5998cpm) and vigorous (≥5999cpm) intensity. Sleep quality was classified as good (PSQI score ≤5) and poor (PSQI score >5). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Of the 100 participants, most were males (61%) with mean±SD age 65±10 years. Average steps count per day was 4954±4341 (23% achieved an average of ≥7,000 steps per day) and mean±SD time spent for light PA, moderate PA and vigorous PA were 237±117, 15±25 and 0.02±0.06 min/day, respectively. Average time spent sedentary was 505±195 min/day. Majority (84%) of participants reported poor sleep quality, with a mean±SD PSQI score of 11±5.

Conclusions: Sri Lankan adults with COPD are physically inactive, with much of their day spent sedentary and with poor sleep quality. Interventions to improve the 24-hour behavioural profiles of Sri Lankan adults living with COPD are needed.

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