Women and men profit equally from cardiac rehabilitation: a secondary analysis of the OPTICARE RCT.
Nienke Ter Hoeve, Marie De Bakker, Madoka Sunamura and 3 others
PMID 41498600WHAT IT FOUND
Women and men gain similar benefits from cardiac rehabilitation for walking distance, activity, and quality of life.
Women improved more in depressive symptoms. Men benefited more from extra group counselling for physical activity, while women gained more from counselling for mental health.
Key findings
01Women and men showed comparable improvements in aerobic capacity, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour during cardiac rehabilitation, with benefits maintained long-term.
02Improvement in depressive symptoms during cardiac rehabilitation was greater for women than for men.
03Exploratory analyses suggest men benefited more from additional face-to-face group counselling for physical activity, while women gained more from counselling for psychosocial well-being.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The original trial was not powered to detect sex differences. The study did not correct for multiple testing, so some significant findings could be due to chance. Women in the study may have been more motivated than the general population, potentially underestimating sex differences. The data were collected between 2011 and 2014, though the authors state cardiac rehabilitation has remained consistent since then. Most health targets used were not sex-specific, except for aerobic capacity.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that tailored counselling is unnecessary. While overall benefits were similar, exploratory data suggest men benefited more from group counselling for physical activity, while women gained more from counselling for mental health, indicating that tailored approaches might address specific gaps.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →