Prescribed physical activity maintenance following exercise based cardiac rehabilitation: factors predicting low physical activity

Physical activity is important to reduce mortality, morbidity and risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. This report evaluates to what extent patients are still physically active following an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programme 12–14 months post-myocardial infarction and factors predicting why not.

Data from the National Quality Registry Swedeheart with post-myocardial infarction patients (n=368) admitted from July 2012 to November 2014 were collected with outcomes of physical activity after 12–14 months. Baseline data included demographics, clinical variables, participation in exercise programmes, prescribed physical activity, health-related quality of life and self-reported health (EQ-5D-3L/EQ-VAS). A direct binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify indicators of low physical activity.

Physical activity frequency per week (PA/week) was low, i.e. zero to three times, in older patients over 64 years (P=0.00) and in those having problems with pain/discomfort (138 PA/week vs. 195) (P=0.01), problems with mobility (60 PA/week vs.273) (P=0.04) and anxiety/depression (128 PA/week vs. 205) (P=0.04).

Indicators predicting low physical activity can be used targeting improved post-myocardial infarction care outlining person-centred rehabilitation programmes and specialist nursing-led programmes.