Exploring the feasibility and uptake of adding a behaviour change interventionthat aims to reduce sedentary time, to a standard pulmonary rehabilitation program, in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

All participants will receive 8 weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation coupled with 8 weeks of behaviour change intervention. The 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation program will consist of 2 supervised exercise training sessions a week. Each session will comprise 20 to 30 minutes of walking training and resistance exercises for the lower and upper limbs. These exercise training programs are considered usual care and are run by physiotherapists. In addition to pulmonary rehabilitation, participants in this study will be requested to attend weekly (i.e. total of 8), face-to-face, educational and goal-setting consultations (i.e. the behaviour intervention). These sessions will occur either immediately before or after a supervised exercise training class once a week. Each weekly consultation will last approximately 30 minutes. Participants will be asked to wear an activity tracker called the "UP2" (Jawbone, USA) for 2 to 3 days before each weekly consultation. During the weekly consultation, data from the activity tracker will be downloaded and reviewed. Each participant will receive counselling, using their own UP2 data, with the goal of reducing their sedentary time and increasing participation in physical activity at any intensity. The specific intervention message will be ‘if you have been sitting continuously for 30 minutes, stand up and move for 2 minutes’. Strategies to assist the participants achieve this goal will include motivational interviewing, feedback, vibration prompts from the UP2 and ideas to overcome barriers. A similar intervention has been shown to be effective in reducing sedentary time in healthy older adults, aged between 60 and 92 years. Attendance to weekly consultations will be documented so that adherence can be monitored.