Physical activity after cardiac rehabilitation: Evidence that different types of self-efficacy are important in maintainers and relapsers.

Objective: To test whether maintenance self-efficacy predicts physical activity among individuals who maintain an active lifestyle and whether recovery self-efficacy predicts physical activity among those who relapse to a less active lifestyle. Study Design and Participants: In a longitudinal study, data were collected from 114 participants 4–10 days after a myocardial infarction (MI), 2 weeks after rehabilitation (2 months after MI), and 8 months after MI. Results: In a subgroup of participants who maintained regular activity at 8 months after MI, maintenance self-efficacy predicted physical activity. Among participants who had relapsed by 8 months after MI, recovery self-efficacy predicted physical activity. Conclusions: Those who conduct interventions among cardiac rehabilitation patients should aim to increase recovery self-efficacy among those patients who are at risk for relapse and to increase maintenance self-efficacy among those patients who are likely to maintain their level of physical activity.