Increasing Walking Following Cardiac Rehabilitation

The purpose of the project was to test the widely endorsed assumption that pedometers produce or encourage more physical activity participation in the form of walking. The investigators hypothesized that pedometers would not increase the amount of walking cardiac patients participated in after their cardiac rehabilitation program compared to patients without pedometers.

As evidenced by the media attention given to pedometers and recent physical activity promotional efforts focused on pedometers, people seem to think that owning a pedometer will influence activity levels. However, an examination of a few social cognitive theories produces no theoretical rationale that would support any sustained positive influence of pedometers in the absence of some other conditional factor, such as a behavioural goal or a social support system. We believe that once people determine how many steps their usual routes and daily activity typically amounts to, that the pedometer will no longer be used. We based our contentions on two theories: self efficacy theory (Bandura, 1986;1997) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000).

Inclusion Criteria: All patients referred to the Northern Alberta Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Patients who are willing to participate Are able to read English Patients who are able to walk at 2.0 mph based on their exercise stress test results Exclusion Criteria: patients unable to walk or walking contra-indicated unwilling do not read English