Objective and Subjective Assessment of Physical Activity in Adults with Muscle Diseases

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the physical activity of adults with muscle diseases relative to healthy controls.
Materials and Methods: Individuals participated in this cross-sectional study by completing the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form and using SenseWear Armband Activity Monitor over a 5-day period to assess physical activity levels subjectively and objectively.
Results: Forty healthy controls (16 males, 24 females) (aged 30.40±4.55 years) and 40 adults with muscle diseases (21 males, 19 females) (aged 32.67±6.57 years) participated in this study. We found that SenseWear Armband (step counts, duration of moderate and vigorous physical activity) and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (walking physical activity, vigorous physical activity, working physical activity, and total physical activity) parameters were significantly lower in the adults with muscle disease group than the healthy controls (p<0.05), whereas the total amount of energy expenditure was similar between the groups (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Adults with muscle diseases expend the same amount of energy as healthy controls, but over fewer steps. This difference between energy expenditure and number of steps could be due to the higher energy requirements for walking in adults with muscle diseases. These findings will help healthcare professionals plan treatment strategies for adults with muscle diseases.