Variety of activity: Relationship with health status, demographic variables and global quality of life

In a sample of 360 people drawn from the general population total activity scores were related to subjective health status age education and economic status but not to gender or home ownership, while in the COPD sample total activity score correlated with global quality of life and a disease-specific QOL scale.

Abstract

This paper describes the impact of health and demographic variables on the variety of reported activity as measured by a positive activity checklist. In a sample of 360 people drawn from the general population, total activity scores were related to subjective health status, age, education and economic status, but not to gender or home ownership. In a sample of 52 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), patients reported lower total activity scores than the population equivalent, and total activity score correlated with physiological parameters of disease. In the COPD sample, total activity score also correlated with global quality of life (QOL) and a disease-specific QOL scale: However, the pattern of correlations between either form of assessment and other subjective and objective assessments was different. Total activity score was comparatively more closely related to physiological parameters associated with COPD morbidity, whereas QOL was comparatively more influenced by perceived health status. A person's ability to engage in a variety of activities is restricted by poor health and some demographic variables.