Forced expiratory volume in 1 second and physical activity in the general population

Abstract

Among patients with advanced lung disease, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) correlates well with reduced exercise capacity and decreased health-related quality of life (1–5). There are, however, little data on the clinical effect of FEV1 on participation in physical activity in patients who may not have clinically apparent lung disease but who have reduced lung function. Moreover, even if such a relation exists, neither the shape of the relation nor the (threshold) value of FEV1 at which functional impairment occurs is known. We analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to determine the relation between FEV1 and participation in common physical activities by adults living in the United States