Physical activity and quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients in hemodialysis

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical activity level of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) and correlate it to the quality of life (QOL). This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. Eight-four patients diagnosed with CKD participated in the study. The instruments used were: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to identify the level of physical activity and the 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36) to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Descriptive statistical analyzes were performed (mean and standard deviation). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used, and the absence of data normality was observed. Mann-Whitney’s U test was used to compare the HRQOL between groups (active and insufficiently active), and Spearman’s correlation coefficient test was used to correlate the level of physical activity and the HRQOL. The significance level adopted was 5% (p≤0.05). It was found that 61.9% (n=51) of the participants were active. Regarding the comparison of groups, active patients presented better perception of HRQOL when compared to the insufficiently active ones. Additionally, from the Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient, it was observed that the physical activity level is correlated with HRQOL, with significant statistics in several SF-36 dimensions. Thus, it is suggested that the regular practice of physical activity may contribute to a better perception of HRQOL of HD patients.