Purposiveness, physical activity, and perceived health in cardiac patients

This study examined the relationship of purposiveness, defined as maintaining purpose in life and a sense of personal growth, with physical activity and perceived health in a sample of cardiac outpatients.

Participants were 130 outpatients recruited through medical settings serving cardiac patients in a southwestern US community. Participants had an average age of 60 years (SD 12.37). Participants responded to a structured questionnaire at the medical setting. The hypothesized mediational model was tested using Latent Variable Structural Equations Analysis (LISREL) 8.

As hypothesized, the results of a LISREL analysis showed that a sense of purposiveness predicted more positive perceived health. Further, as predicted, this relation was mediated by physical activity. Purposiveness was linked to more physical activity, and a high level of physical activity, in turn, predicted better perceived health. A two-group LISREL analysis indicated that the model was equally valid for both sexes.

The present results underscore the importance in cardiac rehabilitation of the continued study of factors that foster meaning in life, including a sense of purpose and individual growth, and of their potential to promote recovery of cardiac patients.