Effectiveness of a Physical ACtivity Coaching Intervention Using E-Health for COPD Patients in Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Patients will attend a PR program and in week 5 of PR will receive an eHealth PA coaching intervention until 6 months after end of PR. The PA goals will be prescribed through a phone call and the personalisation of goal prescription will be based on an algorithm considering patient's performance in the previous week, perceived easiness of achieving the previous goal and confidence to change it. If patient does not achieve the goal, reasons, barriers to PA and strategies to overcome them will be identified. Patients will receive a daily notification about their goal achievements, at 6PM every day, giving them the possibility to increase their PA to achieve the goal, if they have not reached it yet. Patients will also receive personalized notifications sent manually by the researcher whenever appropriate. PA goals will be prescribed on a weekly basis.

Patients will attend pulmonary rehabilitation program for 10 weeks. Pulmonary rehabilitation is evidence-based multidisciplinary intervention based on thorough patient assessment followed by patient-tailored therapies that include, but are not limited to exercise training, education, self-management intervention aiming at behaviour change, known to improve health status and psychological well-being, reducing dyspnoea and healthcare utilization and hospitalization. In this study, pulmonary rehabilitation programs will have 20 sessions, twice a week, including exercise training (aerobic and strength training), educational sessions about topics as medication, smoking cessation, energy conservation techniques, physical activity, stress and anxiety management, breathing control, inhaled therapy and nutrition; nutritional and psychosocial counselling. Education session about PA importance and recommendations will be also provided in both arms.