WHERE DO PATIENTS EXERCISE AFTER CARDIAC REHABILITATION? Put your Title here Sabrina Gallant, BSc2, Deborah S. Somanader, MSc2, Caroline Chessex, MD1, Jennifer Harris, BScPT3, Sherry L. Grace, PhD1,2 1 Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.2School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Canada. 3University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Canada INTRODUCTION Patients who participate in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) significantly increase their physical activity. However, exercise adherence is known to decay post-program, leading to poorer long-term prognosis Some community exercise facilities in the region have recently been identified and promoted as “safe” locations for patients with heart disease, in accordance with the “Heart Wise Exercise” (HWE; http://heartwise.ottawaheart.ca) program CR graduates are informed about these locations to support their transition and continued exercise OBJECTIVE To describe where patients exercise post-CR, and whether they are using HWE-identified facilities RESULTS At CR discharge: 95 (35.1%) reported exercising at CR and at home or in the community, 50 (20.5%) reported they had been exercising at CR only, and 11 (4.5%) were not exercising anywhere. 64 (27.7%) participants intended to join a community exercise facility now that they had completed CR. At 6 months post-CR discharge: 66 (89.2%) participants reported exercising at home, 41 (63.1%) reported exercising in the community, and 4 (12.1%) reported they did not exercise. Of the community-based exercisers, 8 (33.3%) exercised at a facility recommended by the CR program, and 7 (31.2%) exercised at a HWE location specifically. 75 (92.6%) participants exercised individually; of these, the majority walked (n=64, 92.8%). 15 (48.4%) respondents exercised in group fitness classes; of these, most exercised on land (n=12, 80.0%) while others swam (n=5, 33.3%) METHODS Design: Secondary analysis of a program evaluation of 3 CR sites in the Greater Toronto Area New CR patients were approached to participate at their initial visit. Clinical data were extracted from charts Participants completed self-report surveys (online or paper-and-pencil sent via mail) at 3 time points: CR intake, discharge, and 1 year post-intake (i.e., 6 months post-CR) Surveys assessed intensity, frequency, and location of their exercise, with investigator- generated items LIMITATIONS Retention was low, which may have biased findings. Degree of exercise may be higher than observed in the population as a whole Items were not psychometrically-validated CONCLUSIONS CR graduates most often exercised at home, followed by a community facility. HWE programs were not frequently attended, which may be due to the newness of the program in the area. Efforts to improve HWE awareness are now underway. RETENTION: 157 (38.5%) were retained at CR discharge, and 105 (22.9%) were retained at 1 year. Fig 1. Number of days exercised on average at CR discharge and 1 year post-CR graduation.