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The Efficacy and Economics of Exercise Maintenance Post-Cardiac Rehabilitation

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Coronary Artery Disease
Interventions
Behavioral: Exercise Facilitator Intervention
Registration Number
NCT01658683
Lead Sponsor
Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to develop a new intervention to improve the transition of patients from structured, supervised exercise to self-managed home- or approved community-based exercise programs in an effort to increase maintenance of exercise behaviour post cardiac rehabilitation (CR). The goal of the study is that those receiving the intervention will engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity at a moderate or vigorous intensity 5 or more days per week, 26, 52 and 78 weeks after CR compared to those in the usual care group. The new intervention will be delivered by trained exercise facilitators (physiotherapists or exercise specialists) and will make use of: small group counseling teleconferences (5 sessions); personal telephone contacts (3 sessions), and community program demonstrations that would facilitate linkages between patients and approved community programs known as Heart Wise Exercise programs available in Ottawa and Toronto. The trial will be conducted at the Minto Prevention and Rehabilitation Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention Centre at the University Health Network (Peter Munk Cardiac Centre \[PMCC\] and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute \[TRI\]) sites. The study has a target enrollment of 604 participants.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
451
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patient is currently participating in an on-site CR program of ≥ 8-week duration (to ensure that outcomes are not confounded by exposure to home-based or telephone-based case managed programs)
  • Patient has graduated from CR (to ensure that the study is evaluating an intervention to help sustain and improve maintenance of exercise behaviour
  • Patient has a documented diagnosis of CAD (to ensure homogeneity of the patient population)
  • Patient is 18 years of age or older
  • Patient is able and willing to provide informed consent
  • Able to walk unaided at 2 mph
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patient has New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure (because this might interfere with the ability to achieve recommended exercise levels and to ensure homogeneity of the patient population)
  • Patient is pregnant, lactating or planning to become pregnant during the study period (because this might interfere with the ability to achieve recommended exercise levels)
  • Patient is unable to read and understand English or French
  • Planning to leave the province or region in the next 12 months
  • Member of the participant's household is already participating in the study
  • The participant is unable, in the opinion of the qualified investigator, to participate in unsupervised exercise.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Exercise Facilitator InterventionExercise Facilitator InterventionThe intervention employs small group counseling teleconferences (5),personal telephone contacts (3) and community Heart Wise Exercise program demonstrations.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
9-day accelerometer-measured physical activity of moderate and vigorous intensity78 weeks

Physical activity will be measured directly by having participants wear the Actigraph GT3X accelerometer (Actigraph, Pensacola, Florida) over the right hip for a 9-day recording period, excluding periods when they are sleeping, swimming, or bathing. The activity monitor provides measurements including activity counts, energy expenditure, and step counts, in addition to activity intensity levels. Participants will be considered to be maintaining exercise at guideline recommended levels if they undertake ≥ 30 minutes of moderate and/or vigorous intensity physical activity on ≥ five days.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Quality of life measured by the the EuroQoL 5D78 weeks

The EQ-5D is the current gold standard measure of generic quality of life, has been used in numerous studies and has been validated in many languages. The EQ-5D consists of 2 pages - the EQ-5D descriptive system and the EQ visual analogue scale. The EQ-5D descriptive system comprises the following 5 dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression.

Enrollment in Heart Wise Exercise programs78 weeks

Enrollment in community-based and Heart Wise Exercise programs will be queried in the follow-up surveys.

Cardiovascular risk factors measured by body mass index and blood pressure.78 weeks

Height and weight is measured for the determination of body mass index (BMI). Waist circumference is measured using a non-stretchable standard tape measure. Systolic blood pressure is measured in a seated position after a five-minute rest period using an automated, non-invasive blood pressure monitor (BPTru) that automatically performs six measurements

Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility78 weeks

Health effects are measured by overall survival time; event-free time from myocardial infarction, revascularization or death; and quality adjusted life years. Participants are linked to health administrative data to allow health care utilization to be tracked. Participants complete a monthly diary to record time for counseling and physical activities, out-of-pocket expenses, and items related to productivity, including lost work days, home care expenses due to reduced function or cardiac disability. Data is collected on the resources expended for each intervention.

Symptom limited graded exercise test with electrocardiographic monitoring using a ramp protocol on a treadmill52 weeks

A random sub-sample of participants (N = 124) will complete a symptom limited graded exercise test with electrocardiographic monitoring using a ramp protocol on a treadmill at baseline and at 52 weeks. Exercise tolerance will also be assessed using the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI), a self-administered questionnaire that measures a patient's functional capacity and is used as an estimate of an individual's peak oxygen uptake

Mediators of Intervention Effect78 weeks

1.Physical activity history 2.Physical activity self-regulation 3. Action planning 4. Intentions to exercise 5. Beliefs about the benefits of and barriers to exercise 5. Task self-efficacy 6. Barrier self-efficacy 7. Social support from family and friends 8. Autonomy support derived from health care providers 9. Home exercise equipment 10. Neighbourhood environmental attributes of walkability and access to recreation facilities 11. Adherence to medications

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

University of Ottawa Heart Institute

🇨🇦

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

York University and University Health Network

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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