Lifestyle behaviour change of patients following cardiac rehabilitation: the BENEFIT intervention study with one-year follow-up
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: BACKGROUND: The majority of people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) do not maintain a healthy lifestyle. To help patients implement behaviour change at home, the BENEFIT programme was developed as an addition to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) care. METHODS: Using a cluster non-randomised controlled trial design involving 7 CR centres, we examined whether intervention group patients (n=587) showed increased improvements in health behaviour change compared to control group patients (n=298) who (only) received a multidisciplinary, comprehensive CR programme. Physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, diet, stress and sleep were assessed at the start and after finishing CR (short-term) and at one-year follow-up (long-term). Core of the intervention was access to an advanced eHealth platform consisting of functionality for daily goal monitoring, access to lifestyle interventions, personal coaching and a reward programme. FINDINGS: The standard CR programme improved most lifestyle behaviours, while the intervention led to additional short-term changes in vegetable intake (t= 2.00, p=.023), work-related stress (z= -2.97, p=.002), and sleep hours (t= 2.57, p=.005). Finally, in contrast to the control group (t= 1.88, p=.415), the intervention group significantly increased its physical activity long-term (t= 5.04, p<.001) exercising 42 minutes more per week, yet this group-interaction effect showed only a trend (t=1.55, p=.061). CONCLUSIONS: While comprehensive CR care led to improvements in most lifestyle behaviours, the BENEFIT programme demonstrated additional benefits, particularly in physical exercise, dietary habits, stress reduction, and sleep, across a diverse CR-patient population. These findings underscore the potential of integrating eHealth solutions as an effective supplement to traditional CR care.
Institutions: Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, University of Twente, Máxima Medisch Centrum, Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Medical Delta, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Delft University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,792
Funders: ZonMw, Hartstichting
Awards: G1062592712, G2131278764, G4400614781
OpenAlex ID: W4409285465