A Qualitative Exploration of Unanticipated Effects Experienced By People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease...

This study explored the lived experiences of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who participated in interventions designed to reduce the accumulation of sedentary behaviour in prolonged uninterrupted bouts.

Ten participants with stable COPD participated in a multi-component intervention that spanned over 9 months and was designed to address the intervention message 'If you have been sitting or resting continuously for 30 min, stand up and move'. Interventions comprised participation in an 8-week programme of supervised exercise training coupled with behaviour change techniques. Throughout the intervention period the person delivering the intervention kept detailed notes of their interactions with each participant. On completion of the intervention period, participants completed a semi-structured interview that was transcribed verbatim, and these data were analysed and coded to generate themes.

These phenomenological data are presented as narrative case studies. Several unanticipated benefits were described which were summarised into three themes: (1) released from a state of feeling completely trapped, (2) reconnected with meaningful activities of their past self and (3) reclaimed agency and autonomy.

A multicomponent intervention that was designed to reduce the accumulation of sedentary behaviour in prolonged uninterrupted bouts had several unanticipated benefits pertaining to the way people perceived themselves as individuals. The effects are unlikely to be fully captured or appreciated using quantitative methods alone. This study highlights the importance of understanding the effect of interventions and therapeutic interactions through the lens of the person living with the chronic condition.

The participants and researchers collaborated to co-design the study's intervention which included personalised behaviour goals to reduce sedentary behaviour. This working partnership between participants and researchers utilised interviews, diary entries and group focus sessions to construct tailored interventions. Our findings showed unanticipated benefits for participants rather than objective change in reducing sedentary behaviour. Therefore, clinicians may consider these experiences by people with COPD as an important outcome.