The moderating effect of activity pacing on the relationship between physical activity and fatigue among patients...

Fatigue is prevalent among patients with heart failure (HF). Activity pacing has emerged as an effective approach for managing fatigue in patients with chronic disease. However, research on the influence of activity pacing on the relationship between physical activity and fatigue in patients with HF has not been completely explore.

This study aimed to examine the relationships among activity pacing, physical activity, and fatigue in patients with heart failure.

This cross-sectional study investigated 330 patients with heart failure in the cardiology department (Oct 2023 - Oct 2024). Data on socio-demographics, disease status, fatigue, physical activity, and activity pacing were collected at admission for patients with chronic heart failure and post-acute phase (≥7 days hospitalization) for patients with acute heart failure. Moderated effect analyses used Hayes PROCESS macro (Model 4.1).

The study included 330 participants (61.9% male, 38.5% female) with a mean age of 67.47 years (SD = 12.87, range = 18 - 94). Physical activity showed a negative correlation with fatigue (r = -0.635, p < 0.001), but positive correlation with activity pacing (r = 0.169, p < 0.01). Activity pacing also negatively correlated with fatigue (r = -0.368, p < 0.001) and moderated the relationship between physical activity and fatigue (β = -0.130, p < 0.01).

This study confirms the moderating effect of activity pacing on the relationship between physical activity and fatigue in patients with HF. Thus, activity pacing could potentially facilitate greater engagement in physical activity, thereby alleviating fatigue and improving disease prognosis.