A recent US study has shown that women undergoing cardiac rehabilitation experience better results when the rehabilitation program is specifically tailored to women, as opposed to mixed-gender rehab programs.
The 5-year clinical study, led by Theresa Beckie of University of South Florida’s College of Nursing in Tampa, Florida, showed that when women participated in a women-only rehab program they were more willing to attend rehabilitation and more likely to adhere to the lifestyle changes (such as diet changes and exercise programs).
Dr. Beckie explains that one of the keys to the women-only program is to work within each patient’s threshold of readiness for change. Female cardiac patients are often unfamiliar with a lifestyle that includes exercise, and need to adopt lifestyle changes at their own pace. When pushed too quickly, or when expectations of adoption are too rapid, as is often the case in more generalized programs, women give up or become depressed, thus interfering with the progress of rehab. A women-only program addresses many of the barriers that lead to depression or non-participation in rehab programs, resulting in improved outcomes for female heart disease patients.
Addressing the onset of depression is particularly important in female cardiac patients, as depression is twice as likely to be diagnosed in women who are recovering from heart attack or heart disease than men with similar conditions.
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