Are you tired of sitting on the couch all day long and feeling guilty about not exercising enough? Well, this clinical trial has insights for those people who have a sedentary lifestyle due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common respiratory illness that affects breathing.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. It includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD makes breathing difficult for patients. About 16 million Americans suffer from breathing issues due to COPD. The breathing difficulty is particularly exacerbated by physical activity which prompts the patients to acquire a sedentary lifestyle. However, this sedentary behavior has its risks such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Hence, researchers have been looking for ways to improve this sedentary behavior in COPD patients.
Clinical Trial
A clinical trial has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of a six-week behavior change intervention to help reduce sedentary behavior in people with COPD.The trial involved 70 participants suffering from COPD. The participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received a six-week behavior change intervention, while the control group received usual care.
The behavior change intervention consisted of weekly sessions with a trained facilitator who provided personalized feedback, goal-setting, and support to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior. The participants were also given thigh-worn accelerometry for 7 days to track their movements and determine their sedentary behavior.