title: Long-term exercise maintenance, physical activity, and health-related quality of life after cardiac rehabilitation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine exercise maintenance rate, leisure-time objective physical activity level, and health-related quality of life in relation to exercise maintenance over the 6-mo period after a supervised 5-mo recovery-phase cardiac rehabilitation program in acute myocardial infarction patients. The study also investigated whether exercise maintenance resulted in reproducible health-related quality-of-life outcomes comparable with those of the Japanese normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational study comprised 109 acute myocardial infarction patients (89 men, 20 women; mean age, 63.5 +/- 10.1 yrs). Physiologic outcomes (peak oxygen uptake, handgrip, and knee-extension strength) measured at 1 and 6 mos after acute myocardial infarction onset were compared. Completed exercise maintenance and health-related quality-of-life questionnaires and results of electronic pedometer recordings to evaluate leisure-time objective physical activity level were assessed 6 mos after cardiac rehabilitation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean period from acute myocardial infarction to evaluation of outcomes was 18.8 +/- 3.4 mos. Ninety of 109 patients (82.6%) continued exercise for >6 mos after cardiac rehabilitation (exercise group); 19 patients (17.4%) quit exercise after cardiac rehabilitation (nonexercise group). Improvement in physiologic outcomes was noted at 6 mos vs. those at 1 mo, but outcomes were not significantly different between groups. The exercise group performed significantly better than the nonexercise group for leisure-time objective physical activity level and scored significantly higher than the nonexercise group for seven of eight health-related quality of life measures, attaining scores similar to those of the Japanese normal population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At >18 mos after acute myocardial infarction, the exercise maintenance rate in our patients remains high, and exercise maintenance may be one of the factors contributing to improvement of health-related quality of life and leisure-time objective physical activity level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, St. Marianna University School of Medicine Hospital, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Izawa
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kazuto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omiya
authors.forename: Setsu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Samejima
authors.forename: Naohiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Osada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011788:Quality of Life