Carrying on with Living: The Impact of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on the Health Behaviour of Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Main Author: Price, Shirley
• Other Authors: Cott, Cheryl
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: COPD; health behaviour; pulmonary rehabilitation; older adult; 0382
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/24623

Introduction: This study explored the health behaviour of older adults with COPD. Objectives included: 1) to explore the process of successfully managing COPD; 2) to identify health behaviour strategies utilized; 3) to identify factors influencing health behaviour change; 4) to understand the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Methods: Eleven community-dwelling older adults were interviewed following PR. Interviews were coded and analyzed using constant comparative analysis, comparing and contrasting incoming data with emerging theory. Findings: Two distinct models were developed representing participants’ experience with COPD and health behaviour change: Struggling with Living: Life with COPD before Pulmonary Rehabilitation; and Carrying on with Living: Life with COPD following Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Conclusions: Older adults with COPD engaged in a limited repertoire of health behaviour strategies which were relatively ineffectual prior to participation in PR. PR had a major impact on health behaviour strategies, and on the external and personal factors influencing health behaviour.