Introduction.

Cardiac rehabilitation is recognized by the clinical practice guidelines, both international and Colombian, as an essential component in the management of heart failure since it improves the functional capacity and quality of life of patients with this condition. However, exercise adherence in this population is low.

Objective.

To assess sociodemographic and clinical factors related to self-reported exercise adherence during phase III of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

Methods.

Longitudinal cohort study nested in the project "Effectiveness of a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program in patients with heart failure". The study population consisted of patients with heart failure enrolled in the phase III of a cardiac rehabilitation program at a clinic in Medellín, Colombia. A 12-month follow-up was conducted, during which self-reported exercise adherence, defined as the performance of more than 150 minutes per week of unsupervised physical activity, was measured. Sociodemographic and clinical factors were analyzed, for which the following instruments were used: the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI), the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), the Patient Health Questionnaire^ (PHQ-9) for depression, and the State Anxiety Scale (STALE) and Trait Anxiety Scale (STALR) for anxiety.

Results.

A total of 117 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included, of whom 59.8% showed adherence to exen cise (> 150 minutes per week), being higher in the intervention group, but without a significant difference compared to the control group. The male gender and the total score on the MLHFQ questionnaire were significantly associated with exercise adherence. Men were significantly more likely to adhere to exercise compared to women (OR=2.38, 95%CI: 1.03-5.50; p=0.04), as was having a better quality of life (OR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.87-0.97; p=0,00).

Conclusion.

The results of the present study show that the patients who are most likely to adhere to a phase III cardiac rehabilitation program or unsupervised exercise are men and those who have a better quality of life. The rest of sociodemographic and clinical variables did not show a statistically significant association.

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