Maintaining exercise when the cardiac rehab is complete

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital have found that patients who have completed cardiac rehabilitation and who receive telephone counseling that supports exercise are more likely to adhere to an exercise program. Results of the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, are published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Traditionally, patients who complete Phase II cardiac rehabilitation often have low rates of maintaining exercise after program completion. If patients who have completed cardiac rehabilitation do not maintain regular exercise, they are at risk for repeated cardiac events and hospitalizations. Lifestyle changes such as staying regularly active, along with prescribed medications, are important for preventing future hospitalizations in this high risk population. With that in mind, researchers at The Miriam Hospital developed a randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of a home-based intervention to support exercise maintenance. Patients who completed cardiac rehabilitation were randomly chosen to receive phone interventions with exercise counseling (maintenance counseling group) or to receive only telephone support (contact control group) that did not focus on exercise. Data was collected over a period of five years and included 130 patients