Telecoaching to enhance physical activity in chronic respiratory disease

Patients with chronic respiratory disease are characterized by an inactive lifestyle, which is related to worse outcomes (e.g. mortality) and the prevalence of comorbidity. Physical activity (PA) enhancement is of particular relevance in patients with an increasing prognosis, such as patients with mild COPD, cystic fibrosis (CF) and those undergoing a lung transplantation (post LTX). These patients often live remote which makes a regular face to face contact with expertised health care providers difficult. Telecoaching (e.g. a smartphone application) could be an interesting solution for this. The present project includes (1) an RCT investigating the feasibility and long term benefits of a 3 month telecoaching intervention in patients with mild COPD and (2) an RCT investigating the effectiveness and long term benefit (incidence of comorbidity) of 3 months telecoaching in CF and post LTX patients. A second overarching aim, integrated in the protocol, is to investigate the potential of PA data in the identification of a worsening of the health condition, which can trigger early attention to possible problems. This exploratory aim is based on the decreased PA level of COPD patients seen in the week prior to an exacerbation. In summary this project will result in (1) the effectiveness of telecoaching to enhance PA in 3 specific target groups of patients, (2) long term health benefits of PA enhancement and (3) an innovative way of using PA data in the screening of poor health.