Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026
A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Effectiveness of a pedometer-based telephone coaching program on weight and physical activity for people referred to
Janice Sangster1, Susan Furber, Margaret Allman-Farinelli
1Health Promotion Service, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Drs Sangster and Furber); Health Promotion Service Murrumbidgee Local Health District, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia (Dr Sangster); School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia (Dr Sangster); School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Dr Furber); School of Molecular Biosciences (Dr Allman-Farinelli), School of Public Health (Drs Phongsavan and Bauman), and Sydney Medical School (Dr Redfern), University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Dr Haas and Ms Church); and Heart Foundation, NSW Division, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Mr Mark).
Purpose:
To determine the effectiveness of a pedometer-based telephone lifestyle coaching intervention on weight and physical activity.
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 313 patients referred to cardiac rehabilitation in rural and urban Australia. Participants were allocated to a healthy weight (HW) (4 telephone coaching sessions on weight and physical activity) or a physical activity (PA) intervention (2 telephone coaching sessions on physical activity). Weight and physical activity were assessed by self-report at baseline, short-term (6-8 weeks), and medium-term (6-8 months).
Results:
More than 90% of participants completed the trial. Over the medium-term, participants in the HW group decreased their weight compared with participants in the PA group (P = .005). Participants in the HW group with a body mass index of ≥25 kg/m had a mean weight loss of 1.6 kg compared with participants in the PA-only group who lost a mean of 0.4 kg (P = .015). Short-term, both groups increased their physical activity time, and the PA group maintained this increase at the medium-term.
Conclusions:
Participants in the HW group achieved modest improvements in weight, and those in the PA group demonstrated increased physical activity. Low-contact, telephone-based interventions are a feasible means of delivering lifestyle interventions for underserved rural communities, for those not attending cardiac rehabilitation, or as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation.
