Article

Promotion of increased physical activity is advocated for survivors
of an intensive care unit (ICU) admission to improve physical function and
health-related quality of life.
The primary aims of this study were:
(1) to measure free-living physical activity levels and (2) to correlate the
measurements with scores on a self-reported activity questionnaire. A secondary
aim was to explore factors associated with physical activity levels. DESIGN: This
was a prospective cohort study. METHODS: Nested within a larger randomized
controlled trial, participants were block randomized to measure free-living
physical activity levels. Included participants wore an accelerometer for 7 days
during waking hours at 2 months after ICU discharge. At completion of the 7 days
of monitoring, participants were interviewed using the Physical Activity Scale
for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire. Factors associated with physical activity
were explored using regression analysis. RESULTS: The ICU survivors (median
age=59 years, interquartile range=49-66; mean Acute Physiologic Chronic Health
Evaluation [APACHE II] score=18, interquartile range=16-21) were inactive when
quantitatively measured at 2 months after hospital discharge. Participants spent
an average of 90% of the time inactive and only 3% of the time walking. Only 37%
of the sample spent 30 minutes or more per day in the locomotion category (more
than 20 steps in a row). Activity reported using the PASE questionnaire was lower
than that reported in adults who were healthy. The PASE scores correlated only
fairly with activity measured by steps per day. The presence of comorbidities
explained one third of the variance in physical activity levels. LIMITATIONS:
Accelerometer overreading, patient heterogeneity, selection bias, and sample size
not reached were limitations of the study. CONCLUSIONS: Survivors of an ICU
admission greater than 5 days demonstrated high levels of inactivity for
prolonged periods at 2 months after ICU discharge, and the majority did not meet
international recommendations regarding physical activity. Comorbidity appears to
be a promising factor associated with activity levels.

Langue : ANGLAIS