Exercise capacity and its determinants among postcardiac rehabilitation patients with coronary heart disease.
Sek Ying Chair, Kai Chi Leung, Sally Wai Sze Lo and 4 others
PMID 36444708WHAT IT FOUND
After cardiac rehab, patients with coronary heart disease who had higher BMI and less confidence about exercising tended to have lower exercise capacity.
Older age and being female were also linked to lower capacity.
Key findings
01Female participants had lower exercise capacity than male participants, and each additional year of age was associated with a 6.03 m lower shuttle-walk distance.
02Each 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 16.10 m reduction in shuttle-walk distance.
03Each one-point increase in exercise self-efficacy score was associated with a 4.46 m increase in shuttle-walk distance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used cross-sectional baseline data, so it can show associations but not whether BMI, confidence, or physical activity caused higher or lower exercise capacity. Participants came from a cardiac rehabilitation centre in Hong Kong and were recruited by convenience sampling, so the findings may not apply to other populations. Physical activity, self-efficacy and self-determination were self-reported, so responses may be biased. The sample was mostly male and older, and participants were from a Chinese-speaking cardiac rehabilitation centre, so results may not transfer to younger, female, or other groups.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Health and Medical Research Fund. The authors declared no potential conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that lowering BMI or boosting confidence will improve exercise capacity. The study was cross-sectional and used self-reported confidence and activity, so it shows links at one time point, not cause.