A randomized controlled trial of positive-affect induction to promote physical activity after percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Within 1 year after percutaneous coronary intervention, more than 20% of patients experience new adverse events. Physical activity confers a 25% reduction in mortality; however, physical activity is widely underused. Thus, there is a need for more powerful behavioral interventions to promote physical activity. Our objective was to motivate patients to achieve an increase in expenditure of 336 kcal/wk or more at 12 months as assessed by the Paffenbarger Physical Activity and Exercise Index. METHODS: Two hundred forty-two patients were recruited immediately after percutaneous coronary intervention between October 2004 and October 2006. Patients were randomized to 1 of 2 groups. The patient education (PE) control group (n = 118) (1) received an educational workbook, (2) received a pedometer, and (3) set a behavioral contract for a physical activity goal. The positive-affect/self-affirmation (PA) intervention group (n = 124) received the 3 PE control components plus (1) a PA workbook chapter, (2) bimonthly induction of PA by telephone, and (3) small mailed gifts. All patients were contacted with standardized bimonthly telephone follow-up for 12 months. RESULTS: Attrition was 4.5%, and 2.1% of patients died. Significantly more patients in the PA intervention group increased expenditure by 336 kcal/wk or more at 12 months, our main outcome, compared with the PE control group (54.9% vs 37.4%, P = .007). The PA intervention patients were 1.7 times more likely to reach the goal of a 336-kcal/wk or more increase by 12 months, controlling for demographic and psychosocial measures. In multivariate analysis, the PA intervention patients had nearly double the improvement in kilocalories per week at 12 months compared with the PE control patients (602 vs 328, P = .03). CONCLUSION: Patients who receive PA intervention after percutaneous coronary intervention are able to achieve a sustained and clinically significant increase in physical activity by 12 months. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00248846.

Living with heart disease after angioplasty: A qualitative study of patients who have been successful or unsuccessful in multiple behavior change.

OBJECTIVE: To document values, attitudes, and beliefs that influence behavior change among a diverse group of patients post-angioplasty. METHODS: Purposive and maximum-variation sampling were used to assemble a demographically diverse patient cohort (N=61) who had been successful or unsuccessful at post-angioplasty multibehavior change. Semistructured interviews and grounded theory methods were used to collect and analyze qualitative data. RESULTS: Themes showed the following: a) Patients reported surviving a life-threatening event and feared disease recurrence and death; b) the perception of a turning point and self-determination facilitated behavior change; c) social support and spiritual beliefs promoted coping with the uncertainty of living with heart disease; and d) unsuccessful behavior change was related to physical limitations, a sense that "nothing helps," and the belief that angioplasty "cures" heart disease. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle interventions should be culturally relevant and adapted to physical abilities. Fostering self-determination and social support may promote successful behavior change.

An analysis of predictors of sustainability efforts at the Inner-City Asthma Intervention sites: after the funding is gone.

BACKGROUND: The Inner-City Asthma Intervention was a national, multicenter implementation of an evidence-based intervention to reduce asthma morbidity in inner-city children that was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Funding was initially planned for 4 years beginning in April 2001, but because of budgetary changes funding ceased in September 2004, 6 months before the original plan. Some sites were able to sustain their asthma program when the funding ended and others were not. OBJECTIVE: To compare characteristics of sites that were able to sustain their asthma program after the original funding ended with those that were not. METHODS: Data were collected from the project manager at each site in an electronic survey and through telephone interview in November 2003 and August 2005. Using contingency tables, we examined the bivariate relationship between each proposed factor and our outcome measure, secured funding. RESULTS: Of the 18 sites that completed the survey, 50% reported continued funding. All sustainable sites received funding from multiple sources, including either the hospital or the community. One site received federal funding and one site received state funding. Of the sites that presented data to multiple funders, 6 of 9 were sustained (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Sustainable programs were more likely to be funded locally. Programs that used an evaluative process, including patient outcomes data, to demonstrate the importance of the program to their institution and community were more likely to obtain continued funding compared with those that did not.