Level and Determinants of Physical Activity in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients at the Donka National Hemodialysis Center

Abstract

Introduction: Regular physical activity plays a protective role over the cardiovascular system and also against cardiovascular risk factors, and improves the prognosis of patients. The aim of this study was to assess the overall level of physical activity in chronic hemodialysis patients and the factors associated with low levels of activity. Research subjects and methods: A four-month long cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study was performed on chronic hemodialysis patients of all ages, regardless of sex, who agreed to take part in the study. There were both quantitative and qualitative variables in this study, and the Baecke questionnaire was used. Results: Out of 237 hemodialysis patients, 211 were included in our study, i.e., a frequency of 89.02%. The work activity index was low in 91% of cases, the sports activity index was low in 19 out of 20 patients, and the leisure activity index was low in 63% of patients. Meanwhile, the overall physical activity level was low in 76.8% of patients. In our study, low physical activity was significantly correlated with the gender of patients, unemployment of patients since starting dialysis, diabetic nephropathy, diabetes, obesity, dilated cardiomyopathy, a sedentary lifestyle, or interdialytic weight gain ≥ 3kg. Conclusion: The assessment of patients’ physical activity should be integrated into hospital practices for better management of chronic hemodialysis patients.