The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data
Lindong Yuan,1,2 Zhen Tian,3 Xiaodong Jia,3 Zhe Chen4 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Provi...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dove Medical Press
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of COPD |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.dovepress.com/the-association-between-daily-step-count-step-frequency-and-the-risk-o-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-COPD |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1839633854551293952 |
|---|---|
| author | Yuan L Tian Z Jia X Chen Z |
| author_facet | Yuan L Tian Z Jia X Chen Z |
| author_sort | Yuan L |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lindong Yuan,1,2 Zhen Tian,3 Xiaodong Jia,3 Zhe Chen4 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Joint Laboratory for Translational Medicine Research,Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Geriatrics,Tianjin Geriatrics Institute,Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhe Chen, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300052, People’s Republic of China, Email gh_tjzyy2020@163.comBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health concern globally, and physical activity is considered a modifiable factor in its prevention.Purpose: This study examined the association between daily step count, step frequency, and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using nationally representative data.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from adults aged ≥ 40 years in the 2003– 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Participants wore accelerometers for 7 days to measure daily step count and three step frequency indicators: bout cadence, peak 30-minute cadence, and peak 1-minute cadence (steps/minute). Weighted logistic regression was used to assess associations with COPD, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and health-related covariates. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted to confirm robustness.Results: Among 3690 participants (representing ~26.8 million US adults), higher daily step count and step frequency were inversely associated with COPD prevalence. Compared to those taking < 4000 steps/day, those taking ≥ 8000 steps/day had a 63% lower odds of COPD (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15– 0.91; P for trend < 0.001). Higher bout cadence (92.3– 153.4 steps/minute) and peak 30-minute cadence (69.8– 128.2 steps/minute) were also associated with significantly reduced COPD odds (ORs 0.30 and 0.33, respectively). Combined higher step count and frequency yielded a greater risk reduction. Restricted cubic splines indicated a nonlinear association, and ROC analysis showed moderate discriminatory power (AUC 0.71– 0.75). Results remained robust in sensitivity analyses and across subgroups.Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study of US adults, higher daily step counts and greater walking cadence were associated with a lower prevalence of COPD. These findings support the relevance of step-based metrics in assessing COPD risk, although longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NHANES database, physical activity, step count, step frequency |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b70276476ddb41e097b5ac6f6e28f6b0 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1178-2005 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Dove Medical Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of COPD |
| spelling | doaj-art-b70276476ddb41e097b5ac6f6e28f6b02025-07-10T17:45:47ZengDove Medical PressInternational Journal of COPD1178-20052025-07-01Volume 20Issue 123252335104588The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES DataYuan L0Tian ZJia X1Chen Z2Department of Respiratory and Critical CareDepartment of Joint Laboratory for Translational Medicine ResearchDepartment of Geriatrics, Tianjin Geriatrics InstituteLindong Yuan,1,2 Zhen Tian,3 Xiaodong Jia,3 Zhe Chen4 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Joint Laboratory for Translational Medicine Research,Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Geriatrics,Tianjin Geriatrics Institute,Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhe Chen, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300052, People’s Republic of China, Email gh_tjzyy2020@163.comBackground: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health concern globally, and physical activity is considered a modifiable factor in its prevention.Purpose: This study examined the association between daily step count, step frequency, and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using nationally representative data.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from adults aged ≥ 40 years in the 2003– 2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Participants wore accelerometers for 7 days to measure daily step count and three step frequency indicators: bout cadence, peak 30-minute cadence, and peak 1-minute cadence (steps/minute). Weighted logistic regression was used to assess associations with COPD, adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and health-related covariates. Sensitivity analyses and subgroup analyses were conducted to confirm robustness.Results: Among 3690 participants (representing ~26.8 million US adults), higher daily step count and step frequency were inversely associated with COPD prevalence. Compared to those taking < 4000 steps/day, those taking ≥ 8000 steps/day had a 63% lower odds of COPD (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.15– 0.91; P for trend < 0.001). Higher bout cadence (92.3– 153.4 steps/minute) and peak 30-minute cadence (69.8– 128.2 steps/minute) were also associated with significantly reduced COPD odds (ORs 0.30 and 0.33, respectively). Combined higher step count and frequency yielded a greater risk reduction. Restricted cubic splines indicated a nonlinear association, and ROC analysis showed moderate discriminatory power (AUC 0.71– 0.75). Results remained robust in sensitivity analyses and across subgroups.Conclusion: In this cross-sectional study of US adults, higher daily step counts and greater walking cadence were associated with a lower prevalence of COPD. These findings support the relevance of step-based metrics in assessing COPD risk, although longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NHANES database, physical activity, step count, step frequencyhttps://www.dovepress.com/the-association-between-daily-step-count-step-frequency-and-the-risk-o-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-COPDChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseNHANES databasePhysical activitystep countstep frequency |
| spellingShingle | Yuan L Tian Z Jia X Chen Z The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data International Journal of COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease NHANES database Physical activity step count step frequency |
| title | The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data |
| title_full | The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data |
| title_fullStr | The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data |
| title_short | The Association Between Daily Step Count, Step Frequency and the Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study Using NHANES Data |
| title_sort | association between daily step count step frequency and the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a cross sectional study using nhanes data |
| topic | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease NHANES database Physical activity step count step frequency |
| url | https://www.dovepress.com/the-association-between-daily-step-count-step-frequency-and-the-risk-o-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-COPD |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yuanl theassociationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT tianz theassociationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT jiax theassociationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT chenz theassociationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT yuanl associationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT tianz associationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT jiax associationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata AT chenz associationbetweendailystepcountstepfrequencyandtheriskofchronicobstructivepulmonarydiseaseacrosssectionalstudyusingnhanesdata |