The impact of iLiFE on informal carers of people with ILD

Informal carers (IC) are the main source of support of people with ILD. Interventions to manage ILD involving IC are, however, scarce. We explored the impact of a home-based physical activity (PA) intervention for people with ILD (iLiFE– Lifestyle Integrated Functional Exercise for people with interstitial lung disease) on IC of people with ILD. A pre-post mixed-methods study nested in the iLiFE larger trial (<ext-link>NCT04224233</ext-link>) was conducted. Measures of PA, support needs and health-related quality of life were collected at baseline and post-intervention (12-weeks) from IC. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in-person immediately after iLiFE. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed by deductive thematic analysis. Nine IC (5 male, 72±8y) participated. No significant differences were observed for PA, IC support needs and health-related quality of life. iLiFE promoted well-being and joy, IC own involvement, togetherness, patients’ health improvements and decrease in the burden of care (Fig. 1). This study showed that iLiFE is meaningful for IC of people with ILD, with high impact in their daily lives. Nevertheless, this intervention did not improve their PA levels, needs and health-related quality. Therefore, interventions specifically tailored to support IC of people with ILD are needed. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA5022/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>