FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- The benefits of walking activity on reducing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation rate are not modified by air pollutant concentrations, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in ERJ Open Research.
Alícia Josa-Culleré, Ph.D., from ISGlobal in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues examined the combined effects of walking activity and air pollution on the rate of moderate-to-severe exacerbation in a prospective cohort study of 262 patients with COPD from five European countries. Single wearable devices were used to measure regular walking activity amount and intensity at baseline for seven days.
The researchers found that the participants had a forced expiratory volume in one second of 54 percent-predicted. Higher step count and walking duration were associated with a lower exacerbation rate (incidence rate ratio, 0.95 per 1,000 steps/day), but walking intensity (90th percentile [P90]) and average walking speed were not. There was no interaction between step count, walking duration, or P90 or average walking speed with particulate matter <2.5 µm, black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, or ozone.
"The take-home message from our study is not that we don't need to worry about air pollution; exposure to air pollution has been linked to multiple health outcomes. Reducing exposure to air pollution should still be recommended," Josa-Culleré said in a statement. "Rather, our findings suggest that walking is still better than remaining regularly inactive, even for people living in relatively polluted areas."
Two authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
