ACS patients' physical activity levels in the context of cardiac rehab
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding factors contributing to increased physical activity levels after a diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS), and in the context of cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
IRAS ID
258444
Contact name
Sheona McHale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Edinburgh Napier University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 1 days
Research summary
Preventing reoccurring cardiac events for people after a diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is a priority of exercise based cardiac rehabilitation (CR), yet almost half of eligible individuals choose not to attend this secondary prevention intervention (BHF. 2016). Exercise, a sub category of physical activity, is a central component of CR and when performed in accordance with CR exercise recommendations is associated with improvements in cardiovascular risks and quality of life outcomes (SIGN, 2017). There are several factors known to influence a person’s engagement with exercise after a diagnosis of ACS, and the level of physical activity prior a cardiac event is likely to be an important factor, but has received little attention in the research literature. A recent unpublished qualitative systematic literature review of participants diagnosed with a variety of CHD manifestations explored how a previous experience of physical activity influenced engagement with exercise during CR. The review presents a model of engagement representing the perceptions and experiences of participants, including the communication at all stages of the CR journey, and highlights decisions to be influenced by perceptions of an exercise identity, including factors related to physical activity levels, perceived physical ability and perceptions related to the severity of illness. CR uptake could be improved by considering this model, however, there were some limitations to the systematic review in that there were a small number of included papers and from the qualitative methods it is not possible to generalise the findings to an ACS population and so cannot confirm individual contributing factors of how perceived physical activity levels are understood within the context of CR. To inform future CR exercise interventions, a mixed methods research study is proposed to explore and understand factors influencing physical activity levels in adults after a diagnosis of ACS.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NE/0266
Date of REC Opinion
20 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion