Women have low attendance rates at cardiac rehabilitation programs following a cardiac event, with specific demographic and clinical factors predicting non-attendance.
Low cardiac rehab attendance in women with identified predictors warrants clinical awareness; leaves open whether targeted interventions improve participation.
This descriptive study was conducted to identify the factors that influence womens attendance at cardiac rehabilitation programs and womens adherence to risk factor modification following a cardiac event. Women (N=196) admitted to hospital for a cardiac event were followed-up at 12 weeks postdischarge. Despite eligibility, only 64% (n=112) had been referred to cardiac rehabilitation programs. By 12 weeks postdischarge only 32% of the total sample (n=57) attended programs and 12% of the total sample (n=21) had dropped out before completion. The odds of a woman attending cardiac rehabilitation were decreased by myocardial infarction diagnosis, lack of employment, <55 years or >70 years, and experiencing a personal stressful event during follow-up. Women were likely to adhere to smoking, medication, and stress modification guidelines but unlikely to adhere to modification guidelines for diet and exercise.
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Gallagher et al. (2003) studied this question.
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