Patterns of Motivation and Ongoing Exercise Activity in Cardiac Rehabilitation Settings: A 24-Month Exploration from the TEACH Study

Background Few studies have explored exercise and motivational patterns of cardiac rehabilitation patients in the long term. Purpose We explored differential patterns of exercise and motivation in cardiac rehabilitation patients over a 24-month period and examined the relationship between these emerging patterns. Methods Participants (n = 251) completed an exercise, barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectations and self-determined motivation questionnaire. Latent class growth modelling was used to classify patients in different exercise and motivational patterns. Results Three exercise patterns emerged: inactive, non-maintainers and maintainers (16%, 67% and 17% of sample per pattern, respectively). Multiple trajectories were found for barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectations and self-determined motivation (3, 5, and 4, respectively). Patients in high barrier self-efficacy, outcome expectation and self-determined groups had greater probability of being in the maintainer exercise group. Conclusions Identifying a patient's exercise and motivational profile could help cardiac rehabilitation programmes tailor their intervention to optimize the potential for continued exercise activity.