Women and men experienced similar benefits from cardiac rehabilitation, though women were less likely to meet targets for physical activity and anxiety symptoms.
Do women and men benefit equally from cardiac rehabilitation after an acute coronary syndrome?
Women and men derive similar overall benefits from cardiac rehabilitation after acute coronary syndrome, but sex-specific differences in meeting long-term physical activity and psychosocial targets suggest a need for tailored programs.
Purpose: To explore sex-specific differences in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) outcomes. Methods: Aerobic capacity (6-Minute Walk Test), physical behaviour (accelerometer), cardiovascular risk profile (weight, blood pressure, cholesterol), and psychosocial well-being (questionnaires) were measured in patients after an acute coronary syndrome (147 women, 642 men) at CR start and completion, and 18 months’ follow-up. Sex differences were studied using GEE models adjusted for age and differences in baseline characteristics. Additionally, whether men and women met targets associated with health risk reductions was assessed. Results: Both sexes experienced similar CR benefits. Only for depressive symptoms did women show larger improvements (HADS score; ♀: –2.7 vs ♂: –1.1; p = 0.017). Nevertheless, long-term follow-up revealed women still lagged in meeting targets for physical activity (♀: 76.5% vs ♂: 93.1%; p < 0.001) and anxiety symptoms (♀: 75.5% vs ♂: 86.8%; p < 0.001), while men lagged in meeting aerobic capacity targets (♀: 71.3% vs ♂: 58.8%; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Women experience similar CR benefits to men in aerobic capacity, physical behaviour, cardiovascular risk profile, anxiety, and quality of life, with greater improvement in depressive symptoms. However, target values were less often met by women in physical behaviour and psychosocial well-being, and by men in aerobic capacity. Tailored CR programmes may be needed to address the unique needs of women and men.
Hoeve et al. (2026) studied this question. Women and men experienced similar benefits from cardiac rehabilitation, though women were less likely to meet targets for physical activity and anxiety symptoms.