Early walking time is associated with recovery of activities of daily living during hospitalization in older patients with community‐acquired pneumonia: A single‐center prospective study

• Published in: Geriatrics & gerontology international Vol. 21; no. 12; pp. 1099 - 1104
• Main Authors: Woo, Hyunjae, Aoki, Hideki, Kataoka, Hideki, Yamashita, Junichiro, Yoshitake, Takatoshi, Morishita, Tatsuya, Tanaka, Takako, Ishimatsu, Yuji, Kozu, Ryo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kyoto, Japan John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 01.12.2021; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: activities daily of living; Activities of Daily Living; Aged; community‐acquired pneumonia; Exercise; Hospitalization; Humans; physical activity time; Pneumonia; Pneumonia - diagnosis; Prospective Studies; Rehabilitation; Walking; rehabilitation; hospitalization; community-acquired pneumonia; physical activity time; activities daily of living
• ISSN: 1444-1586; 1447-0594
• DOI: 10.1111/ggi.14300

Aim Pneumonia is a common disease with a high mortality rate among older adults that is associated with a decline in activities of daily living (ADL) during hospitalization. The aims of this study were to investigate the following: (i) early physical activity time among older patients hospitalized with community‐acquired pneumonia; and (ii) the association of physical activity time with the recovery of ADL. Methods A prospective observational study was carried out in patients aged ≥65 years hospitalized with community acquired pneumonia. We measured the time spent standing and walking as physical activity time using the activPAL accelerometer from the third to the ninth day of admission. Patients underwent rehabilitation during their hospitalization, and rehabilitation effectiveness was calculated using the motor Functional Independence Measure on admission and at day 10. We used stepwise multiple regression to examine the relationship between physical activity time and rehabilitation effectiveness. Results A total of 87 patients were included in the analysis. Median (interquartile range) physical activity time was 69 min/day (43–103 min/day). In the multiple regression model, a greater daily walking time, higher cognitive and physical function, and ADL at admission were independently associated with rehabilitation effectiveness (adjusted R2 = 0.32, P < 0.0001). For every increase of 10 min/day of walking time, ADL improved by 7.8% (B = 7.8, 95% CI 1.3–14.2, P = 0.02). Conclusions Older patients hospitalized with community‐acquired pneumonia have low levels of physical activity, and increasing early walking time might be an effective strategy to accelerate the recovery of ADL. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 1099–1104.