Stages of exercise behavior change at two time periods following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

A sedentary lifestyle is the most prevalent coronary heart disease risk factor in the United States. It is a challenge for healthcare providers to promote the adoption and maintenance of regular exercise as a lifestyle change in sedentary individuals. For this effort to be effective, research on exercise behavior and the processes that promote the desired behavior is needed. Using the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TMC), this study was aimed at describing and comparing short- and long-term regular exercise behavior and the change processes used in the different stages, with subjects after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Questionnaires were sent to 253 patients aged 60 years and older at 4 to 6 months and 22 to 26 months after CABG surgery. The study findings indicate that 67% of the subjects had become long-term regular exercisers. However, there were more subjects who had begun exercise shortly after the surgery than at the 2-year point. The data suggest that health promotion efforts may be more cost-effective and efficient if focused on educating the smaller percentage of post-CABG surgery patients in the pre-regular-exercise stages. In addition, relapse prevention may be needed to maintain exercise adherence. This study also demonstrates that exercise behavior can be easily categorized into stages with the use of four questions. However, an instrument to evaluate the processes of exercise behavior change needs to be developed specifically for the older population.