Patterns of Motivation and Ongoing Exercise Activity in Cardiac Rehabilitation Settings: A 24-Month Exploration from the TEACH Study

BACKGROUND: Few studies have explored exercise and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation patients in the long term. PURPOSE: We explored differential patterns of exercise and motivation in cardiac rehabilitation patients over a 24-month period and examined the relationship between these emerging patterns. METHODS: Participants (n = 251) completed an exercise, barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectations and self-determined motivation questionnaire. Latent class growth modelling was used to classify patients in different exercise and motivational patterns. RESULTS: Three exercise patterns emerged: inactive, non-maintainers and maintainers (16%, 67% and 17% of sample per pattern, respectively). Multiple trajectories were found for barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectations and self-determined motivation (3, 5, and 4, respectively). Patients in high barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectation and self-determined groups had greater probability of being in the maintainer exercise group. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying a patient's exercise and motivational profile could help cardiac rehabilitation programmes tailor their intervention to optimize the potential for continued exercise activity.