Adem de Baas.

Rationale:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although COPD is a chronic disease, health-related quality of life can be improved and hospitalization can be reduced, by obtaining a healthy lifestyle. A computer-tailored feedback program could help people with COPD or at risk for COPD to improve their health related behavior. The aim of this project is to test the effect of an internet-based lifestyle program providing computer-tailored feedback, on the health behavior of people at risk for or with COPD.



Objective:

To test the effect of the program on health behavior, aiming at smoking behavior and physical activity. Furthermore, we examine the effect of the program on intention to change behaviour, stages of change, disease related quality of life and level of disability.



Study design:

The study will be a two armed randomized controlled trial.



Study population:

People who have a moderate or high risk of having COPD or are diagnosed with COPD.



Intervention:

A computer-tailored feedback program that provides participants of personalized advice to change their behavior.



Main study parameters/endpoints:

1. Smoking cessation;

2. Physical activity.

We hypothesize that more participants in the experimental condition, who are offered the computer-tailored feedback program, will quit smoking and that these participants will become more physically active compared to the participants in the control condition, who do not receive the computer-tailored feedback program. Besides, we hypothesize that the experimental condition will obtain better disease related quality of life, level of disability, stage of change and intention to change behavior, compared to the control condition.

1. Baseline;

2. 6 months.

the intervention is a computer-tailored feedback program, which provides participants with individualized feedback aiming at health related behavior change. By tailoring feedback messages to a person’s responses, messages become more personalized and matched to key theoretical determinants of the behavior and characteristics of the person. The program is based on the I-change model, which incorporates several behavioral change theories. For example, the program provides feedback on the reported behavior, participants' attitude, social influence, goals, plans and self-efficacy. The program will be available for all participants in the experimental condition for 6 months. Participants can log in to the program whenever they want and as often as they like. After 6 months the control condition will have access to the program.