title: Effects of community-based cardiac rehabilitation on body composition and physical function in individuals with stable coronary artery disease: 1.6-year followup.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine long-term changes in physical function and body composition in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients participating in ongoing community-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four individuals (69.7 ± 8.2 years; 79% men) participated in this longitudinal observational study. Baseline and follow-up assessments included incremental shuttle walk, short physical performance battery, handgrip strength, chair stands, body composition, last year physical activity, and CR attendance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants attended 38.5 ± 30.3% sessions during 1.6 ± 0.2 year followup. A significant increase in 30-second chair stands (17.0 ± 4.7 to 19.6 ± 6.4, P < 0.001), body weight (75.8 ± 11.1 to 77.2 ± 12.1 kg, P = 0.001), and body fat (27.0 ± 9.5 to 29.1 ± 9.6%, P < 0.001) and a decline in handgrip strength (36.4 ± 9.4 to 33.0 ± 10.6 kg·f, P < 0.001) and muscle mass (40.8 ± 5.6 to 39.3 ± 5.8%, P < 0.001) were observed during followup. There was no significant change in shuttle walk duration. CR attendance was not correlated to observed changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elderly CAD patients participating in a maintenance CR program improve lower-body muscle strength but experience a decline in handgrip strength and unfavourable changes in body composition, irrespective of CR attendance.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. sandra.mandic@otago.ac.nz
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mandic
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hodge
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Edwin R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Nye
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Body
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.forename: Michael J A
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D012111:Residence Characteristics