Long-term Effects and Maintenance of Exercise Habits in Individuals With COPD

The study aims to evaluate exercise habits and relevant health outcomes at 6 months and again 12 to 18 months after participation in the COPDEX trial (NCT06551441). Specifically, we will investigate the extent to which participants maintain regular exercise in the absence of supervision, how long-term exercise behaviour is associated with quality of life and physical capacity, and identify key motivational facilitators and barriers associated with sustained exercise participation Primary objective is to investigate health-related quality of life in individuals with COPD at 6 months and again 12 to 18 months after participation in the COPDEX trial. Secondary objectives is to investigate exercise habits, physical activity levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, lung function, functional exercise capacity, and body composition in individuals with COPD 6 months and again 12 to 18 months after participation in the COPDEX trial; to explore differences in long-term outcomes according to original allocation in the COPDEX trial; to identify motivational facilitators and barriers associated with the initiation and maintenance of regular exercise following participation in the COPDEX trial. At completion of the randomised controlled exercise trial COPDEX (protocol no. H-24021751), which examined the effects of 6 months of high-intensity interval training (HIIT; three sessions per week) compared with usual activity, all participants were encouraged to either continue or initiate regular exercise. All previous participants will be invited to participate in the present follow-up study, irrespective of their original allocation (HIIT group or usual activity group).