Daily Path Areas and Location Use During and After Cardiac Rehabilitation

Jodi Langley; Nerissa Campbell; Darren Warburton; Ryan E Rhodes; Shane Sweet; Nicholas Giacomantonio; Daniel Rainham; Shaelyn Strachan; Travis Saunders; Chris Blanchard

doi:10.1097/HCR.0000000000000917

Daily Path Areas and Location Use During and After Cardiac Rehabilitation

J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2025 Jan 10. doi: 10.1097/HCR.0000000000000917. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jodi Langley¹, Nerissa Campbell, Darren Warburton, Ryan E Rhodes, Shane Sweet, Nicholas Giacomantonio, Daniel Rainham, Shaelyn Strachan, Travis Saunders, Chris Blanchard

Affiliation

¹ Author Affiliations: Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Ms Langley); Bluewater Health, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada and School of Kinesiology (Exercise and Health Psychology Lab), Western University, London, Ontario, Canada (Dr Campbell); Physical Activity and Chronic Disease Prevention Unit, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada(Dr Warburton); School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, Faculty of Health, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Dr Rhodes); Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Dr Sweet); Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Giacomantonio); School of Health and Human Performance and the Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Rainham); Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (Dr Strachan); Department of Applied Human Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada (Dr Saunders); and Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr Blanchard).

PMID: 39786897
DOI: 10.1097/HCR.0000000000000917

Abstract

Purpose: Little research has focused on the potential impact that the environment plays in shaping cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patient sedentary time (ST) and physical activity (PA). To address this, the current study generated daily path areas (DPAs) based on the locations they visited during and after they completed CR.

Methods: Patients in CR (n = 66) completed a survey and wore an accelerometer and Global Positioning System receiver for 7 days early (first month), late (last 2 weeks of program), and 3 months after completing CR.

Results: Individual DPAs were approximately 24 km2 at baseline and remained stable over time. Location-based analyses showed that most patients' ST and PA time was spent at home, followed by other residential, commercial, work, and CR locations. However, the time spent in certain locations (eg, parks and recreation locations) fluctuated during and after CR by intensity.

Conclusions: CR patient DPA was stable over time. Within this space, they primarily engaged in ST and PA at home. However, when not home, the distribution of location use varied across a number of locations that extended well beyond their neighborhoods. Therefore, proximity to home may not be a barrier for CR patients in relation to their ST and PA.