title: Barriers to cardiac rehabilitation: DOES AGE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantitatively investigate age differences in barriers to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) enrollment and participation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac outpatients (N = 1,273, mean age = 65.9 +/- 11.2) completed a mailed survey to discern barriers to CR enrollment and participation. Both enrollees and nonenrollees were asked to rate 18 CR barriers on a 5-point Likert scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the respondents, 535 (43%) reported participating in CR at 1 of 40 sites, with younger patients being more likely to participate (P = .002). Older age was positively related to total CR barriers (P < .001). Older patients more strongly endorsed the following CR barriers: already exercising at home (P = .001), confidence in ability to self-manage their condition (P = .003), perception of exercise as tiring or painful (P = .001), not knowing about CR (P = .001), lack of physician encouragement (P < .001), comorbidities (P < .001), and perception that CR would not improve their health (P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given that the benefits of CR are achieved in older patients as well as the young, interventions to overcome these modifiable barriers to enrollment and participation are needed.
authors.affiliation: York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. sgrace@yorku.ca
authors.forename: Sherry L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Grace
authors.forename: Shamila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shanmugasegaram
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gravely-Witte
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brual
authors.forename: Neville
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suskin
authors.forename: Donna E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors