Participant-selected music and physical activity in older adults following cardiac rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate effects of participant-selected music on older adults' achievement of activity levels recommended in the physical activity guidelines following cardiac rehabilitation. Design: A parallel group randomized controlled trial with measurements at Weeks 0, 6 and 26. Setting: A multisite outpatient rehabilitation programme of a publicly funded metropolitan health service. Subjects: Adults aged 60years and older who had completed a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Interventions: Experimental participants selected music to support walking with guidance from a music therapist. Control participants received usual care only. Main measures: The primary outcome was the proportion of participants achieving activity levels recommended in physical activity guidelines. Secondary outcomes compared amounts of physical activity, exercise capacity, cardiac risk factors, and exercise self-efficacy. Results: A total of 56 participants, mean age 68.2years (SD=6.5), were randomized to the experimental (n=28) and control groups (n=28). There were no differences between groups in proportions of participants achieving activity recommended in physical activity guidelines at Week 6 or 26. Secondary outcomes demonstrated between-group differences in male waist circumference at both measurements (Week 6 difference -2.0cm, 95% CI -4.0 to 0; Week 26 difference -2.8cm, 95% CI -5.4 to -0.1), and observed effect sizes favoured the experimental group for amounts of physical activity (d=0.30), exercise capacity (d=0.48), and blood pressure (d=-0.32). Conclusions: Participant-selected music did not increase the proportion of participants achieving recommended amounts of physical activity, but may have contributed to exercise-related benefits.