Effect of an Exercise Training Intervention on Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial and Behavioral Variables in Adult Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: a Quasi-experimental Study Design

During the last decades advances in solid organ transplantation, like e.g. organ preservation, surgical techniques and immunosuppressive treatment have contributed to improvements in postoperative survival. Thereby, solid organ transplantation (Tx) has moved from experimental treatment towards a clinical reality and a life-saving surgery, offering most patients a good long-term survival. However, further improvement in long-term survival remains a major challenge.

It is increasingly recognized that non-pharmacological interventions hold the potential to improve long-term outcomes in transplantation as evidence shows that health behavior has been independently associated with transplant outcome (e.g. physical activity, non-smoking, medication adherence). Furthermore, exercise training interventions show positive outcome in a number of populations and limited research in transplantation shows positive outcomes in view of exercise capacity, muscle strength, cardiopulmonary variables and body composition. However, there is a lack of research that evaluates exercise training interventions in view of patient reported outcomes (PROs) in transplant recipients.

In the University Hospitals of Leuven (Belgium) a project named 'Transplantoux' has been launched to enhance physical activity and exercise capacity in transplant recipients. Transplant recipients participate in the 'Transplantoux' exercise training intervention for 6-months with the ultimate goal to cycle or hike up the Mont Ventoux (France) (distance: 25.9 km, mean slope: 4.4%). Extending on a previous safety feasibility study in which we demonstrated that selected Transplant recipients can safely participate in an intense exercise program and that exercise capacity was significantly improved after training. The primary aim of the current study is to evaluate the short- and long-term effect of the 'Transplantoux' intervention in view of selected Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs), i.e. perceived health-related quality-of-life, depressive symptomatology, stress and well-being, physical activity, social contacts and social support, and barriers and motivators to exercise.

The Transplantoux Health Evaluation Study (THES) uses a quasi-experimental design with three convenience samples: 1) a convenience sample of solid organ transplant (Tx)-recipients participating in the Transplantoux exercise training intervention, 2) matched control sample of Tx-recipients not participating in the Transplantoux exercise intervention, and 3) and a convenience sample of healthy controls participating in the Transplantoux exercise intervention. Selected PROs will be assessed using validated self-reported questionnaire. Data collection will be performed at baseline, 3 months (in the middle of the training intervention), 6 months (immediately following the intervention), 9 months (3 months follow-up period) and 12 months (6 months follow-up period).