A Brief Physiotherapist-led Behaviour Change Intervention to Facilitate Walking in Older People With Peripheral Arterial Disease: a Randomised Controlled Trial

Peripheral arterial disease can cause leg pain or discomfort (called intermittent claudication (IC)), which limits the ability to walk and carry out everyday activities. Lifestyle changes, like increasing walking, can lead to improvements, but can be a challenge to begin and then continue. The aim of this study is to investigate if a physiotherapist-led, behaviour change treatment effects walking in people with IC. The treatment is designed to build an understanding of IC and walking exercise and help individuals develop strategies to increase regular walking. The trial will recruit 192 adults (aged 50 years and over) with IC. All participants will visit King's College London or their local hospital to complete two short walking tests and answer questionnaires about their daily activities, beliefs about their symptoms and treatment, quality of life and the costs of having IC.

Participants will then be randomly assigned to receive either the new treatment or continue with their usual NHS care. The new treatment involves two 60-minute face-to-face sessions (at the participant's home or local hospital) and two 20-minute telephone calls with a physiotherapist who will discuss participants' understanding and beliefs about IC, walking and help participants to set goals and plans to increase walking over 12 weeks. Participants will be provided with a step counter (pedometer) and walking record.

After 12 weeks, all participants will attend a second appointment where they will repeat the walking tests and fill out another set of questionnaires. A final set of questionnaires will be completed by all participants after 6 months (by post or electronically). Some participants will be invited to provide feedback on their experience of the treatment and trial by telephone or a face-to-face interview with a researcher.