Abstract P429: Assessing Physical Activity in Women with CVD Using Generic Versus Disease-Specific Measures of Physical Activity

Introduction and Purpose: Consistent and adequate measurement of physical activity (PA) in studies involving women with CVD has significant implications for the development of interventions and recommendations for increasing PA in this population. Generic measures of PA may not address or may be less sensitive or relevant to issues and problems faced by women with CVD and their impact on function. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to assess appropriateness of using generic self-report PA measures as opposed to disease-specific measures when assessing PA in women with CVD. Methods: A secondary analysis of PA data derived from a cross-sectional study investigating healthcare providers’ influence on motivation for PA in women with CVD was conducted. Community-dwelling, English speaking women with a self-reported history of CVD were recruited via flyers and newspaper ads, subsequently completing mailed self-report questionnaires and a telephone survey. Self-reported PA was measured with the 7-Day PAR. Perceived PA limitations and CVD symptoms were assessed with the Cardiovascular Limitations and Symptoms Scale. Age and comorbid conditions were also assessed. Pearson’s product moment correlations were computed to assess for associations among study variables. Results: The sample ( N =103) were non-Hispanic, primarily white (93.2%) females with a mean age of 64.7 (SD 10.3) years. The majority (94.2%) were NYHA functional status class I. Mean reported CVD symptoms was 1.1 ( SD 1.0). Difficulties with recall bias and descriptions of daily activities by participants during data collection with the 7-Day PAR led to wide variations in self-reported PA, contributing to a highly left-skewed distribution. Mean reported energy expenditure (PA) was 241.8 kcal/kg/week ( SD 20.3, Median 235.9). Mean perceived PA limitations was 15.9 ( SD 4.8). With the exception of a significant correlation with age (p < .01), no association between PA, as measured with the 7-Day PAR, and other study variables was found, including perceived PA limitations. CVD symptoms emerged as a significant predictor of perceived PA limitations in regression analyses in the primary study and was highly correlated ( r = .51, p < .001) with this variable, but not with PA ( p = .39). Conclusions: Lack of correlations between PA and other study variables may have been attributable to discrepancies in estimation of PA as assessed with the 7-Day PAR in this sample. The emergence of CVD symptoms as the strongest predictor of perceived PA limitations in regression analyses in the primary study supports the influence CVD-related factors have on PA in women with CVD. These results suggest including a disease-specific assessment, which takes CVD symptoms and limitations into consideration, when evaluating PA in the population of women with CVD.