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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1447765
This article is part of the Research Topic Psychosocial Issues and Interventions in Pulmonary Rehabilitation View all 6 articles

Long-term self-reported attendance in exercise training or lung choir and status of quality of life following initial pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD

Provisionally accepted
Mette Kaasgaard Mette Kaasgaard 1,2*Uffe Bodtger Uffe Bodtger 1,2Søren T. Skou Søren T. Skou 3,4Stephen Clift Stephen Clift 5,6Ole Hilberg Ole Hilberg 1,7Daniel B. Rasmussen Daniel B. Rasmussen 2Anders Løkke Anders Løkke 1,7
  • 1 Department of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
  • 2 Pulmonary Research Unit (PLUZ), Department of Medicine, Zealand University Hospital, Naestved, Denmark., Næstved, Denmark
  • 3 Other, Slagelse, Denmark
  • 4 Research Unit for Musculoskeletal Function and Physiotherapy, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
  • 5 Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, United Kingdom
  • 6 International Centre for Community Music, York St John University, York, United Kingdom
  • 7 Department of Medicine, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Both adherence rates to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes and long-term attendance in exercise training after PR remain a challenge. In our previous randomised controlled trial (RCT), effects were positively associated with a dose-response pattern, regardless of whether PR contained conventional physical exercise training (PExT) or Singing for Lung Health (SLH) as a training modality within a 10 weeks’ PR programme for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, long-term status of this RCT cohort remains unknown. In this study, we investigated whether current status (= attendance in supervised exercise training or a lung choir and scoring in quality of life (QoL)) was related to initial PR completion, randomisation, or adherence. Methods: We collected data via telephone, using a researcher-developed questionnaire on current self-reported attendance in supervised exercise training or a lung choir and on perceived benefits of the initial RCT intervention. Additionally, we used COPD-validated questionnaires (primarily: QoL (measure: St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire; SGRQ). Results: In 2023 (i.e., mean/median 4.7 years after initial PR), surviving participants were contacted (n=196; 73% of 270), and 160 (82% of 196) were included. Out of the included participants, 30 (19%) had not completed initial PR. Compared to the initial PR-completers, non-completers reported less current attendance in exercise training or lung choir (24% vs. 46%, p=0.03) but SGRQ scores were comparable. Yet, those who attended exercise training or lung choir at present (n=66/160; 41% out of 160) reported better QoL score than those with no current attendance (SGRQ; Attending: 39.9 ±15.4; Not attending: 43.1 ±16.7; p=0.02). Neither having had SLH instead of PExT, nor adherence level during initial PR, was related to current attendance or to QoL scores. Conclusion: This study indicates that long-term self-reported attendance and current QoL scores are positively related to initial completion of a PR programme. Surprisingly, neither initial PR content (PExT or SLH) nor initial PR adherence was related to long-term outcomes. We suggest that future PR programmes include special attention to those who do not complete PR to support long-term attendance and QoL status.

    Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Long-term attendance, Quality of Life, physical exercise training, group singing, Lung choir, Completion rate

    Received: 12 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kaasgaard, Bodtger, Skou, Clift, Hilberg, Rasmussen and Løkke. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Mette Kaasgaard, Department of Regional Health Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.