The Physical Activity Coach in Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Abstract

Physical activity coaching can be understood as the use of strategies to stimulate patients towards higher levels of daily activities by modifying their behaviour. The objectives of a physical activity coach may be summarized as: helping patients progress with their physical activity goals; reinforcing COPD self-care skills; supporting patients’ efforts to monitor their activities and symptoms; assisting with problems, solving physical activity barriers and troubleshooting any device or technology issues. Techniques of motivational interviewing and the use of direct activity feedback from a pedometer are tools that have been successfully used to change physical activity behavior on the short term in patients with COPD. The challenge now lies in finding ways to optimally tailor physical activity coaching interventions to the individual patient in order to promote long-term behavior change and sustained engagement in physical activity.