Korean Circ J.  2024 Dec;54(12):825-835. 10.4070/kcj.2024.0097.

Exercise Preferences and Barriers Among Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction or Myocardial Infarction

• Lee MK
• Lee CJ
• Goo SY
• Moon JY
• Lee TH
• Kang SM
• Chung IM
• Jeon JY

• KMID: 2563797
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4070/kcj.2024.0097

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Although cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is highly recommended in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), participation in CR is low mainly due to access barriers. Home-based CR (HBCR) has been recommended to overcome access barriers. Exercise is a core component of CR and should be developed and implemented based on individual characteristics. We aimed to assess physical activity behaviors, exercise preferences, and exercise barriers to understand physical activity characteristics of CVD patients.
Methods
Participants were patients between the ages 19 to 75 years with a history of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or myocardial infarction (MI). They completed a cross-sectional survey at a tertiary hospital's outpatient clinic from April to June 2021. Survey data included physical activity levels, patterns, preference, and barriers of exercise.
Results
Participants (n=189; 143 males, 46 females, 62.1±12.0 years) were diagnosed as either HFrEF (n=160, 84.7%) or a history of MI (n=97, 51.3%). Only 26.5% of patients engaged in moderate to vigorous exercise for more than 150 minutes per week. Participants preferred exercising alone or with families. Walking (65.6%) and resistance exercises (35.4%) were favored, with outdoor (37%) and home-based (30.2%) settings preferred over fitness centers (10.6%) and hospitals (0.5%). Barriers to exercise included fatigue (34.4%), poor health perception (31.7%), and low fitness levels (30.7%).
Conclusions
The results of this study can be used to develop tailored HBCR programs that consider individual preferences and address specific barriers, facilitating adequate physical activity engagement.

Keyword

Cardiac rehabilitation; Cardiovascular disease; Physical activity; Exercise

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