Altres ajuts: Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica (SEPAR) (147/2011 i 201/2011), Societat Catalana de Pneumologia (Ajuts al millor projecte en fisioteràpia respiratòria 2013), integrat al Plan Estatal I+D+I 2013-2016 i co-finançat per ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación i Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)

Background. Study of the causes of the reduced levels of physical activity in patients with COPD has been scarce and limited to biological factors. Aim: To assess the relationship between novel socioenvironmental factors, namely dog walking, grandparenting, neighbourhood deprivation, residential surrounding greenness and residential proximity to green or blue spaces, and amount and intensity of physical activity in COPD patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 410 COPD patients from five Catalan municipalities. Dog walking and grandparenting were assessed by questionnaire. Neighbourhood deprivation was assessed using the census Urban Vulnerability Index, residential surrounding greenness by the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and residential proximity to green or blue spaces as living within 300 m of such a space. Physical activity was measured during 1 week by accelerometer to assess time spent on

moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vector magnitude units (VMU) per minute. Findings Patients were 85% male, had a mean (SD) age of 69 (9) years, and post-bronchodilator FEV1 of 56 (17) %pred. After adjusting for age, sex, socio-economic status, dyspnoea, exercise capacity and anxiety in a linear regression model, both dog walking and grandparenting were significantly associated with an increase both in time in MVPA (18 min/day (p<0.01) and 9 min/day (p<0.05), respectively) and in physical activity intensity (76 VMU/min (p=0.05) and 59 VMUs/ min (p<0.05), respectively). Neighbourhood deprivation, surrounding greenness and proximity to green or blue spaces were not associated with physical activity. Conclusions: Dog walking and grandparenting are associated with a higher amount and intensity of physical activity in COPD patients. Trial registration number: Pre-results, eNCT01897298.