Distinct trajectories of light and moderate to vigorous physical activity in heart disease patients: Results from the Activity Correlates afTer cardIac hospitalizatiON (ACTION) trial

Objectives: Research suggests that light and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) has beneficial effects concerning longevity in heart disease patients. Yet, very little is known about the physical activity trajectories of patients who do not attend cardiac rehabilitation programs and whether the demographic/clinical predictors of these trajectories are similar for light and MVPA. Design: Longitudinal. Methods: Patients (N= 269) completed a questionnaire assessing demographic, clinical, and physical activity variables at baseline, three, six, nine, and 12 months after hospitalization for heart disease. Charts were reviewed for height, weight and clinical diagnosis. Results: Latent class growth analyses showed two classes of patients emerged for light physical activity (i.e., patients who remained inactive and patients whose physical activity levels significantly declined) and MVPA (i.e., patients whose physical activity significantly increased and patients whose activity levels significantly decreased). Light intensity class membership was predicted by diagnosis (OR. =2.22), whereas MVPA class membership was predicted by gender (OR. = .15). Finally, dual trajectory analyses showed that patients whose activity levels declined for one intensity had a high probability of transitioning into the declining group for the other intensity. Conclusions: Physical activity trajectories for heart disease patients vary as a function of intensity as do the demographic/clinical predictors of these trajectories.