Mortality Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Coronary Artery Disease Are Mediated by Comprehensive Risk Factor Modification: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multicomponent intervention to reduce adverse outcomes from coronary artery disease, but its mechanisms are not fully understood. The aims of this study were to examine the impact of CR on survival and cardiovascular risk factors, and to determine potential mediators between CR attendance and reduced mortality.

Methods And Results: A retrospective mediation analysis was conducted among 11 196 patients referred to a 12-week CR program following an acute coronary syndrome event between 2009 and 2019.

Reliability of field- and laboratory-based assessments of health-related fitness in preschool-aged children.

Objectives: Reliable measurements of health-related fitness-cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, body composition, and flexibility-are imperative for understanding and tracking health-related fitness from the preschool age. This study aimed to examine the test-retest reliability of field-based (i.e.

An evaluation of the role of the exercise training dose for changes in exercise capacity following a standard cardiac rehabilitation program.

Background: To retrospectively characterize and compare the dose of exercise training (ET) within a large cohort of patients demonstrating different levels of improvement in exercise capacity following a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program.

Methods: A total of 2310 patients who completed a 12-week, center-based, guidelines-informed CR program between January 2018 and December 2019 were included in the analysis. Peak metabolic equivalents (MET) were determined pre- and post-CR during which total duration (ET time) and intensity [percent of heart rate peak (%HR)] of supervised ET were also obtained.

Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experience poor functional capacity and quality of life (QOL). High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to elicit greater improvements in functional capacity and QOL compared with moderate to vigorous intensity continuous training (MICT) in other cardiovascular populations, yet HIIT remains understudied in AF.

Objective: To compare the effects of 12 weeks of HIIT and MICT-based cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) on functional capacity and general QOL in patients with persistent and permanent AF.

Long-Term Maintenance of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Gains After Cardiac Rehabilitation Reduces Mortality Risk in Patients With Multimorbidity.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to characterize the impact of multimorbidity and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on mortality in patients completing cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: This cohort study included data from patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) completing a 12-wk CR program between January 1996 and March 2016, with follow-up through March 2017. Patients were stratified by the presence of multimorbidity, which was defined as having a diagnosis of ≥2 noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

An observational study examining utilization of prehabilitation and its association with postoperative cardiac rehabilitation participation and risk factors following coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Growing evidence supports the use of prehabilitation before coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to improve surgical outcomes, but its feasibility and impact on risk factor management in real-world clinical settings remain unknown. This observational study examined prehabilitation utilization and its association with postoperative cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation and cardiovascular risk profile.

Methods: As standard care in a large Canadian city, eligible patients were referred to prehabilitation upon entering the elective CABG waitlist then were re-referred to CR following surgery.

Time-of-day effect on motor coordination in youth.

The evaluation of motor coordination is important for diagnosing children and adolescents with motor impairments. However, motor coordination may be affected by time-of-day effects, and thus, the intra-day variation could subsequently influence the assessment accuracy of the standardized test used in the diagnostic process. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted to examine this possibility.

Investigating the mediating role of internalizing and externalizing problems on physical fitness in children at risk for Developmental Coordination Disorder.

Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have poorer fitness and greater internalizing/externalizing problems compared with typically developing (TD) children. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential mediating role of internalizing/externalizing problems on the relationship between children at risk for DCD (DCDr) and physical fitness. Participants ( = 589) included 288 children with DCDr ( = 4.

Cancer and cardiovascular disease: The impact of cardiac rehabilitation and cardiorespiratory fitness on survival.

Background: Cancer survivors are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related morbidity and mortality. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs improve CVD risk factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). The purpose of this study was to investigate: (1) the association between CR completion and survival, and (2) whether CRF improvements translate to increased survival among patients with comorbid cancer and CVD.

Sex differences in physical and mental health following high-intensity interval training in adults with cardiovascular disease who completed cardiac rehabilitation.

This pre-post study examined sex-differences in peak aerobic power (O) and physical- and mental-health outcomes in adults with cardiovascular disease who completed high-intensity interval training (HIIT)-based cardiac rehabilitation. HIIT consisted of 25 minutes of alternating higher- (4×4 minutes 85-95% heart rate peak (HR)) and lower- (3×3 minutes 60-70% HR) intensity intervals twice weekly for 10 weeks. O estimated from a graded exercise test using the American College of Sports Medicine equation, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, blood biomarkers and anxiety and depression were assessed at baseline and follow-up.

Examining the Effects of Acute Cognitively Engaging Physical Activity on Cognition in Children.

Cognitively engaging physical activity (PA) has been suggested to have superior effects on cognition compared to PA with low cognitive demands; however, there have been few studies directly comparing these different types of activities. The aim of this study is to compare the cognitive effects of a combined physically and cognitively engaging bout of PA to a physical or cognitive activity alone in children. Children were randomized in pairs to one of three 20-min conditions: (1) a cognitive sedentary activity; (2) a non-cognitively engaging PA; and a (3) cognitively engaging PA.

Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in a Canadian Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine whether type 2 diabetes status is associated with an increased likelihood of depressed mood and anxiety in patients attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and to explore predictors of depression and anxiety after CR completion in patients with diabetes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in patients who completed a 12-wk CR program between 2002 and 2016. Patients were classified as reporting normal-to-mild or moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Lessons learned from community- and home-based physical activity programs: A narrative review of factors influencing women's participation in cardiac rehabilitation.

Background: Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death in women. Despite the well-known benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, it remains underutilized, especially among women. Physical activity programs in the community, however, attract a large female population, suggesting that they overcome barriers to physical activity encountered by women.

Meeting the Canadian strength training recommendations: Implications for the cardiometabolic, psychological and musculoskeletal health of nurses.

Aim: To examine the proportion of nurses meeting the strength training recommendation and its associated cardiometabolic, psychological and musculoskeletal benefits.

Background: Strength training targets poor physical and mental health often reported by nurses; however, it is unknown whether nurses are meeting the strength training guidelines.

Methods: Nurses from 14 hospitals completed a 7-day physical activity log.

Using the 6-min Walk Test to Monitor Peak Oxygen Uptake Response to Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Heart Failure.

Purpose: We examined the agreement between peak oxygen uptake (V˙o2peak), estimated using prediction equations from the 6-min Walk Test (6MWT), and V˙o2peak measured using a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX) to estimate change in V˙o2peak in patients with heart failure (HF) enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Methods: This was secondary analysis of 54 (including 9 women) patients with HF who completed a clinical CR program. Four previously published equations using 6MWT distance were used to estimate V˙o2peak and were compared with a CPX at baseline, follow-up, and change using the standard and modified Bland-Altman method.

Motor Coordination and Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity in Emerging Adults: Mediating Effect of Physical Self-Concept.

Little research has investigated the relationships among motor coordination, perceived physical self-concept (PSC), and physical activity during emerging adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether PSC mediates the relationship between motor coordination and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in emerging adults. This was a cross-sectional study with 218 undergraduate students aged 17-23 years (167 females, 76.

Psychosocial and Cardiometabolic Health of Patients With Differing Body Mass Index Completing Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Background: It remains unclear whether cardiac rehabilitation (CR) provides similar benefits to patients with varying levels of body mass index (BMI). We assessed the psychosocial and cardiometabolic health of patients with increased BMI who completed CR.

Methods: The records of 582 patients who completed a 3-month outpatient CR program were analyzed.

Sex differences in psychosocial and cardiometabolic health among patients completing cardiac rehabilitation.

Current programs of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) typically provide a standardized approach to all patients. We examined whether CR would produce similar improvements in psychosocial and cardiometabolic health indicators in women compared with men. The records of patients who completed a 3-month outpatient CR program were examined.

The Effects of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Clinical guidelines for managing patients with AF do not include a referral to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) at present, although it is routine for most other cardiovascular conditions. The number of studies evaluating the impact of CR on the health of patients with AF is growing, but there has been no consolidation of the findings.

Are Canadian-born Major League Baseball players more likely to bat left-handed? A partial test of the hockey-influence on batting hypothesis.

It has been suggested that Canadian-born Major League Baseball (MLB) players are more likely to bat left-handed, possibly owing to the fact that they learn to play ice hockey before baseball, and that there is no clear hand-preference when shooting with a hockey stick; approximately half of all ice hockey players shoot left. We constructed a database on active (i.e.

Arterial stiffness in children with and without probable developmental coordination disorder.

Background: Children with cardiovascular disease risk factors demonstrate adverse arterial alterations that are predictive of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adults. Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) are at cardiovascular risk as they are more likely to be obese and inactive.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess arterial structure and function in children with and without probable DCD (p-DCD).

Role of aortic arch vascular mechanics in cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity.

Cardiovagal baroreflex sensitivity (cvBRS) measures the efficiency of the cardiovagal baroreflex to modulate heart rate in response to increases or decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP). Given that baroreceptors are located in the walls of the carotid sinuses (CS) and aortic arch (AA), the arterial mechanics of these sites are important contributors to cvBRS. However, the relative contribution of CS and AA mechanics to cvBRS remains unclear.