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Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Notwithstanding the well-known benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), adherence to CR remains low, particularly in women. Aerobic interval training (AIT) has received specific attention as an emerging exercise-training paradigm that addresses frequently cited barriers to CR (i.e. lack of motivation/enjoyment and time, perceiving exercise regime as tiring/boring) and improves cardiovascular risk factors. Previous studies have examined the safety of AIT in CR settings; there is little evidence on the feasibility of AIT in CR. The aims of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of AIT within a CR setting and examine the sex differences regarding the feasibility of such programming. Methods: Patients attended an on-site AIT CR program (10-minute warm-up, 25 minutes of interspersed high [HI - 4 minutes at 85-95% HRpeak] and low [LO - 3 minutes at 60-70% HRpeak] intervals, 10-minute cool-down) twice weekly for 10 weeks. Heart rate (HR) and the Borg rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale were recorded at each session. Feasibility was assessed by: (1) attendance and compliance: the number of sessions attended and the compliance to the prescribed HI and LO HR ranges; (2) the patient experience: patients’ perceived effort, program difficulty, if the program was challenging and satisfying; and, (3) safety. Descriptive statistics were used to report the means and their variations. Mann-Whitney U tests and Chi-square analyses were performed to examine sex-differences. Results: A total of 160 patients (33% women, 67% men, 57.2 ± 9.6 years) attended the AIT program and completed 16±5 classes with a low attrition rate (11.3%). Most patients met or exceeded the prescribed target HR for the HI (80%) and LO (84%) intervals, respectively. Patients reported a “somewhat hard” RPE for HI (14±1) and “very light” for LO (10±2) intervals. All patients were satisfied with the program and found it challenging. Most patients found AIT to be difficult (7±2), yet safe (97%). Three vasovagal episodes occurred and more women dropped-out of the program than men (p |
