Assessing physical activity in heart failure with the CHAMPS physical activity questionnaire

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Office of Research on Women’s Health and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health Background It is difficult to quantify physical activity among adults with heart failure (HF) in the context of many disease-driven limitations. The Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) Physical Activity Questionnaire, designed to measure physical activity among older adults, may be helpful in quantifying physical activity in HF. Purpose To quantify physical activity levels among adults with HF using the CHAMPS Physical Activity Questionnaire and to compare physical activity expenditure and frequency between adults ≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years, women and men, and those physically frail vs. non-physically frail. Methods This was an analysis of data collected from a cohort study of adults with New York Heart Association Functional Class I-IV HF. Using the CHAMPS Questionnaire, we calculated caloric expenditure (kcal) and frequency per week in all activities and moderate intensity activities. Physical frailty was measured with the Frailty Phenotype Criteria. Comparative statistics were used to compare physical activity between groups. Results The average age of the sample (n = 117) was 63.6±15.6 years, 48.7% were female, and most (76.9%) had non-ischemic HF etiology. Median caloric expenditure from all physical activities was 1827 kcal/week [Interquartile Range 735-3943] and moderate intensity activities was 397 kcal/week [Interquartile Range 0-1886]. For caloric expenditure from all physical activities, there was no significant difference between adults ≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years (p = 0.894), but women and those physically frail had significantly lower caloric expenditure (both p < 0.001). For caloric expenditure from moderate intensity physical activities, there was no significant difference between adults ≥ 65 years vs. < 65 years (p = 0.346), but women had significantly lower caloric expenditure (p < 0.001) as well as those physically frail (p < 0.001). Median frequency of all physical activities was 13 times per week [Interquartile Range 8-21] and of all moderate intensity activities was 3 times per week [Interquartile Range 0-8]. Conclusions Many adults with HF, regardless of age, report low physical activity using the CHAMPS Physical Activity Questionnaire; however, women and those physically frail report considerably lower physical activity than men and those non-physically frail, respectively. Capturing physical activity levels across multiple activities is necessary for the design and implementation of physical activity interventions in HF, and the CHAMPS measure may be one tool to do this.