Outdoor Walking Training Compared To Cycle Ergometer Training in Severe COPD: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flow diagram of process according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement. The figure shows the progress of the parallel randomized feasibility trial of the two groups; i.e. screening, enrollment, allocation, results after three weeks and three month follow-up. CRQ, chronic respiratory questionnaire; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GOLD: global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease.

Table 1. Study participants’ baseline characteristics.

	Outdoor walking training (n = 8)	Cycle ergometer training (n = 8)
Sex, females : males	3:5	3:5
Disease severity, GOLD III : IV	6:2	4:4
Age, years	65.6 (7.1)	63.0 (9.4)
Use of oxygen, yes : no	5:8	5:8
Additional oxygen, liters	1.1 (0.9)	1.1 (1.1)
Health-related quality of life, CRQ total score	75.5 (28.0)	84.3 (10.3)
Physical capacity 6MWT, m	232.5 (54.5)	345.6 (51.8)

CRQ: chronic respiratory questionnaire; 6MWT: six-minute walk test; m: meters.

Data are presented as means (standard deviations).

Table 2. Health-related quality of life (chronic respiratory questionnaire; CRQ), physical capacity (six minute walk test; 6MWT)) after three weeks’ rehabilitation and three months’ follow-up.

	Outdoor walking training			Cycle ergometer training			ES (95%CI), p-value**
	Baseline*	3 w*	3 m*	Baseline*	3 w*	3 m*
								Baseline - 3 w	Baseline - 3 m
HRQoL^a	76 (28)	114 (8)	96 (14)	84 (10)	98 (18)	79 (20)		1.19 (0,4 to 1) 0.042	0.92 (0.2 to 1.6) 0.020
								Baseline - 3 w
Physical capacity^b	232 (55)	285 (72)	–	346 (52)	440 (49)	–		2.5 (1.6 to 3.3) 0.458	—
									3 w – 3 m
Physical activity^c	–	5090 (1677)	2339 (1233)	–	6018 (1560)	2606 (1517)		–	0.47 (–0.02 to 1) 0.366

HRQoL; Health-related quality of life.

^a Total score.

^b Meter.

^c Steps per day.

* Data are presented as means (standard deviations), w; weeks; m; months’; ES; effect size Cohen’s d; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval.

** Independent t-test

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