Determination of the effectiveness of accelerometer use in the promotion of physical activity in cardiac patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of the self-monitoring of physical activity by hospitalized cardiac patients attending phase I cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: University hospital CR program.

Participants: CR patients (N=126) with a mean age of 59.1 years.

Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to the self-monitoring group (group A, n=63) or the control group (group B, n=63). Along with CR, group A patients performed self-monitoring of their physical activity at the beginning of a phase I CR program (acute in-hospital phase for inpatients) and ending just before they began a phase II CR program (postdischarge recovery phase for outpatients).

Main Outcome Measures: Physical activity (averages of daily number of steps taken and daily energy expenditure for 1wk) as measured by accelerometer was assessed in both groups at baseline (t1) and before the beginning of phase II CR (t2).

Results: Although there were no significant differences in physical activity values between groups A and B at t1, values of group A at t2 were significantly higher than those of group B (8609.6 vs 5512.9 steps, P<.001; 242.6 vs 155.9kcal, P<.001).

Conclusions: Self-monitoring of patient physical activity from phase I CR might effectively increase the physical activity level in preparation for entering a phase II CR program. Results of the present study could contribute to the development of new strategies for the promotion of physical activity in cardiac patients.