Back to results

Barriers, Facilitators and Preferences for Physical Activity in Severe Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD): A qualitative study

Alpha-1 antitrypsin is a substance that occurs naturally in the body. Alpha-1 antitrypsin protects our lungs against the effects of cigarette smoke and infections. Some people are born without the ability to produce any or enough of this substance, this causes a condition called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). People with AATD are at increased risk of developing a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Globally COPD is a prevalent condition, and the fourth leading cause of death. COPD is usually caused by cigarette smoking but people with AATD are at increased risk of developing COPD regardless of whether they smoke or not. The main symptoms of COPD are shortness of breath and anxiety. As a result of this people with COPD are reported to have low levels of physical activity. These low levels of physical activity are of concern as people with COPD who engage in higher levels of physical activity experience less infections and hospitalisations. The barriers and facilitators to physical activity for people with COPD have been explored. But we don’t know what the barriers and facilitators to physical activity for people with AATD are. These may differ as people with AATD are typically younger and have fewer comorbidities such as diabetes or hypertension. Therefore this study aims to explore the barriers and facilitators to physical activity in people with AATD. This information will inform the future development of physical activity interventions for people with AATD.