Barriers and Facilitators to Exercise Compliance for Community Elders with COPD: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and Aim

Exercise compliance was known as important to improve long-term health conditions for Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, however, little was known about the determinants which affect their exercise compliance. This study aimed to investigate factors related to exercise compliance of COPD elderly patients.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included elderly patients with stable COPD participants. Random cluster sampling and a survey, including the Exercise Compliance Scale, mMRC Dyspnea Index Scale, Social Support Scale, Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale, and Self-rating Depression Scale, were used. Data were analyzed using Spearman correlation and backward logistic regression.

Results

124 participants (45.90%) had poor exercise compliance while 146 had good compliance (54.10%). The backward logistic regression showed household monthly income (¥501–¥1500: OR=21.54, P<0.05; ¥3001–¥5000: OR=32.76, P<0.05), two chronic comorbidities (OR=17.13, P<0.05), and the moderate dyspnea (OR=16.87, P<0.05) might help to improve exercise compliance. While female COPD patients (OR=0.11, P<0.01) who had server dyspnea (OR=0.02, P<0.05) and depression (OR=0.84, P<0.05) might have more difficulties adhering to exercise.

Conclusion

Low exercise compliance in community-dwelling elderly COPD patients could be affected by sex, monthly income level, number of chronic comorbidities, dyspnea, and depression.

Keywords:

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• exercise compliance
• elderly
• community

Ethics Statement

This study was conducted based on Principles of Declaration of Helsinki and has been ethically reviewed and approved by Hainan Medical University (LLXJSHL002).

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by 2019 Hainan Provincial Basic and Applied Research Program (Natural Science Field) High-level Talent Project Funding (2019RC233).