Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 27, 2026
A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Functional capacity in men and women following cardiac rehabilitation
Michael A Gee1, Anthony J Viera, Paula F Miller
1School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Insights
Men gain more functional capacity from cardiac rehabilitation (CR) than women. Tailoring CR programs for women could improve outcomes for female cardiac patients. Keywords: cardiac rehabilitation, functional capacity, women, men.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Gender Health
Background:
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for ischemic heart disease patients.
- The efficacy of CR in women remains less understood compared to men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if functional capacity improvements post-CR differ between male and female ischemic heart disease patients.
- To assess sex-based disparities in response to cardiac rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 1104 participants (346 women, 758 men) in CR programs (2002-2011).
- Functional capacity measured by change in metabolic equivalents (METs) post-CR.
- Analysis controlled for baseline METs, CR indication, age, BMI, cholesterol, and socioeconomic factors.
Main Results:
- Men showed significantly greater improvement in METs than women across all models.
- Unadjusted METs improvement: 2.16 for men vs. 1.65 for women (P=.0001).
- Adjusted analyses confirmed greater benefits for men (P=.0003 to P=.0004).
Conclusions:
- Current CR programs yield greater functional capacity benefits for men compared to women.
- Personalized CR interventions may enhance outcomes for female participants.
- Highlights the need for sex-specific approaches in cardiovascular disease management.
Purpose:
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to generally increase functional capacity and lower cardiovascular morbidity in patients with ischemic heart disease. The effectiveness of CR in female participants, however, is unclear. We thus examined whether improvement in functional capacity after CR differs between men and women with ischemic heart disease.
Methods:
Our study was a retrospective cohort study that included 1104 participants (346 women and 758 men) enrolled in CR from 2002 through 2011. We measured change in metabolic equivalents (METs) after CR to assess improvement in functional capacity in male and female participants. We considered various potential confounders, including baseline METs, CR referral indication, age, race, body mass index, baseline cholesterol, and home zip code average prosperity.
Results:
Men experienced a greater improvement in METs following CR in all models, including the unadjusted model (2.16 METs in men, 1.65 METs in women; P = .0001), the model adjusting for CR indication only (2.15 METs in men, 1.67 METs in women; P = .0003), and the model adjusting for age, body mass index, and CR indication (2.12 METs in men, 1.66 METs in women; P = .0004).
Conclusions:
We show that men obtain greater benefit from current CR programs than do women. This implies that tailoring CR programs to women may yield further improvement in functional capacity for female CR participants.
More Related Videos
07:31A Computerized Functional Skills Assessment and Training Program Targeting Technology Based Everyday Functional Skills
Published on: February 13, 2020
12:59Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:17Exercise and Cardiac Output
Sustained exercise increases the muscles' oxygen demand, which can be...
01:26Imbalances in Cardiac Output
CHF can occur due to the failure of either side of the heart. Left-side failure leads to pulmonary congestion—the right side continues to send...
01:11Cardiac Output and Stroke Volume
In an average resting adult male, the typical cardiac...
01:29Pathophysiology of Cardiac Performance
01:22Cardiac Output II: Effect of Stroke Volume on Cardiac Output
Preload
Preload refers to the initial elongation of the cardiac myocytes before contraction and is related to the volume of blood filling the heart at the end of diastole, or end-diastolic volume. The...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...