Biologic Influences on Exercise Adherence

A retrospective study was conducted to determine the ability of certain biological variables to discriminate between exercise participants on the basis of exercise adherence and symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD). Diagnostic profiles for adult male participants (N = 362) in the Biodynamics Exercise Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, over a five-year period were analyzed. Information from medical screening and an exercise tolerance treadmill test provided data on various morphological and physiological variables as well as indices of coronary risk and disease. Stepwise multiple discriminant analyses indicated that percent body fat, body weight, and metabolic capacity discriminated (p < .05) among criterion adherence groups, and that metabolic capacity and body weight subsequently discriminated (p < .05) among coronary disease criterion groups. Moreover, the adherence and CHD classification variables were positively associated (p < .007). Results suggested that individuals with greater adherence to exercise prescription were leaner, lighter, and less fit and were more symptomatic with regard to coronary disease at program entry. These data suggest that standardly assessed exercise screening information may provide statistically meaningful assistance in predicting participants' length of stay in a preventive medicine exercise program.