St George Respiratory Question-naire (SGRQ), treadmill endurance test, and spirometry. The home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program consisted of walking for 40 min along a corridor or a street, climbing stairs for 15 min, and exercising the arms with an oil can (1 kg) using diagonal movements for 15 min. Subjects were
called once each week for encouragement and verification of adherence. Both groups received the
usual pharmacologic treatment; in addition, the control group received a telephone call without
guidance on exercise.