Behavioural outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention

Many studies have shown the considerable benefits from living a healthy lifestyle, including controlling one's dietary intake and being physically active. Excess food intake means excess caloric intake, which needs to be used or the calories are stored as fat deposits. Weight gain with increasing obesity is prevalent in our society. Exercise or physical activity of almost any sort helps to reduce or control weight. It also improves fitness and wellbeing, while also prolonging life expectancy. Increased weight and inactivity lead to higher blood pressure, worse cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose levels, which can lead to diabetes. Unfortunately many people find it difficult to follow recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. These tendencies need to be studied to help achieve and maintain favourable health behaviours.

The initiation and maintenance of behaviour change is complex and difficult. Even with the impetus of a major cardiac illness, most patients fail to make or sustain successful lifestyle changes in the long term. In those who initially adhere, relapse is common. While cardiac rehabilitation group programs produce many physical and psychological benefits for patients who attend them, they do not focus on equipping patients with skills to adopt and maintain the necessary behavioural changes after their acute illness. Lack of success has been attributed to the lack of personally relevant information provided. A particular focus of the Centre's research at present is secondary prevention, or the prevention of further cardiac problems among those who have already established heart disease. Several projects concern the development and evaluation of interventions to improve behavioural outcomes after heart attack, coronary artery bypass graft surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention.