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A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Irrational health beliefs predict adherence to cardiac rehabilitation: a pilot study
Derek R Anderson, Charles F Emery1
1Department of Psychology.
Insights
Poor adherence to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is common. Irrational health beliefs, not depression, were found to predict lower CR adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is crucial for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients.
- Adherence to CR programs ranges from 50% to 80%, significantly impacting patient outcomes.
- While depression's role in CR adherence is studied, results are inconsistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of irrational health beliefs and depression on CR adherence.
- To identify key psychological predictors of CR adherence in CVD patients.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-one outpatients undergoing CR completed baseline questionnaires assessing depression and irrational health beliefs.
- CR adherence was quantified as the percentage of completed exercise sessions.
- Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine predictors of adherence, controlling for demographic factors.
Main Results:
- Older age and higher income correlated with better CR adherence.
- African American patients showed lower adherence compared to Caucasian patients.
- Depression was not a significant predictor of CR adherence (p = .78), but irrational health beliefs were (β = -.290, p < .05).
Conclusions:
- Irrational health beliefs, not depression, significantly predicted lower adherence to cardiac rehabilitation.
- Patients endorsing medically unfounded beliefs are less likely to complete CR programs.
- Interventions targeting health beliefs may improve CR adherence in cardiovascular patients.
Objective:
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is routinely prescribed for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but data indicate that 20% to 50% of patients do not adhere to CR. Studies have focused on the impact of depression on CR adherence, but results have been equivocal. Irrational health beliefs are related to adherence among diabetes patients, but have not been examined among cardiac patients. This study examined depression and irrational health beliefs as predictors of CR adherence.
Method:
Sixty-one participants (30% female; mean age = 59.9 ± 11.8; 72% Caucasian), recruited at the outset of an outpatient CR program, completed a baseline questionnaire including measures of depression and irrational health beliefs. CR adherence was defined as the percentage of CR exercise sessions completed. Pearson correlations and analysis of variance determined demographic factors related to adherence. Hierarchical regression analyses examined irrational health beliefs and depression as predictors of CR adherence.
Results:
Older age (p < .05) and higher income (p < .05) were associated with better CR adherence, but CR adherence was lower among African Americans than Caucasians (p < .01). Depression was not related to adherence (p = .78), but irrational health beliefs predicted CR adherence, after controlling for race/ethnicity, income, and age (β = -.290, ΔR² = .074, ΔF[1,55] = 5.50, p < .05).
Conclusions:
Irrational health beliefs predicted CR adherence but depression did not. Thus, poorer adherence to CR was associated with endorsing beliefs that are not based in medical evidence.
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