Activity-Related Breathlessness and Physical Activity in Women with Sedentary Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Sedentary behavior is a considerable health risk, which is related to a variety of chronic diseases and a lower quality of life. Breathlessness, or dyspnea, is a significant barrier to physical exercise, especially in sedentary populations. This study aimed to assess the relationship between activity-related dyspnea and physical activity levels in women with sedentary behavior, while also identifying demographic and health factors that influence this association. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design conducted in Saudi Arabia, utilizing an electronic survey for data collection. The participants were Saudi females aged 20-50 years with sedentary behavior, who reported sitting for 6 h or more each day. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect data, which examined sociodemographic information, breathlessness (assessed via the Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) breathlessness scale and the Dyspnea-12 (D-12) questionnaire), and physical activity levels using the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ). Only healthy volunteers without chronic or respiratory problems were included. Results: Among 646 participants, 95.2% reported breathlessness, with Grade 2 (32.2%) being most common. Physical activity levels were low, with 37.36% insufficiently active. Significant differences in dyspnea scores were observed across activity levels (H(2) = 50.43, p < 0.0001), with more active individuals reporting less dyspnea. Ordinal logistic regression showed that higher mMRC scores were strongly associated with lower activity (OR = 0.19, 95% CI [0.16, 0.23], p < 0.001). Dyspnea-12 physical domain scores also correlated inversely with activity (OR = 0.93, 95% CI [0.90, 0.96], p < 0.001), while the emotional domain was not significant. Conclusions: The study revealed a significant association between higher breathlessness severity and lower physical activity levels among Saudi women with sedentary behavior. Dyspnea was prevalent, with 95.2% of participants experiencing some degree of breathlessness. Future longitudinal or interventional studies are required to determine the direction of this relationship and explore whether interventions targeting breathlessness management could support increased physical activity or if greater activity itself may help alleviate dyspnea.

Keywords: breathlessness; dyspnea; female; sedentary lifestyle; women’s health.