Enhancing physical activity in patients with orphan chronic respiratory disease: effectiveness and feasibility of a semi-automated telecoaching program

This project aims to investigate a physical activity (PA) coaching program in patients with Cystic Fibrosis and patients who underwent a lung transplantation, populations with an increasing survival in the last decades. Both patient populations have a decreased PA level and show important comorbid conditions, which are in the healthy population related to PA. In these patients the relation between PA and (co)morbidities is unknown and there is a need for effective PA coaching programs. Our hospital is a center of reference for these patients, often living remote from the center. This makes a regular face to face contact with expertised health care providers difficult. Telecoaching (e.g. using a supported smartphone application) could therefore be an interesting solution to empower patients for PA self management. Based on prior positive expertience with a telecoaching program to enhance PA in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, we aim to develop and test a similar, though optimized, intervention in patients with Cystic Fibrosis and after a lung transplantation. Overall, this project will result in (1) The development of an inexpensive intervention with a low burden for the health care providers administering it;(2) the investigation of its effectiveness on the short and longer term; and (3) data about the long term health benefits of PA enhancement in the present populations by focusing on the presence of important comorbid conditions and survival.