Conclusions HB exercise is slightly more effective than CB rehabilitation in terms of maintaining EC .
Background Exercise-based cardiovascular rehabilitation ( CR ) improves exercise capacity ( EC ) , lowers cardiovascular risk profile and increases physical functioning in the short term .
However , uptake of and adherence to a physically active lifestyle in the long run remain problematic .
Home-based ( HB ) exercise programmes have been introduced in an attempt to enhance long-term adherence to recommended levels of physical activity ( PA ) .
The current systematic review and meta- analysis aim ed to compare the longer-term effects of HB exercise programmes with usual care ( UC ) or centre-based ( CB ) CR in patients referred for CR .
Validation of a new tool for the assessment of study quality and reporting in exercise training studies: TESTEX
Introduction : Several established tools are available to assess study quality and reporting of r and omized controlled trials ; however , these tools were design ed with clinical intervention trials in mind . In exercise training intervention trials some of the traditional study quality criteria , such as participant or research er blinding , are extremely difficult to implement . Methods : We developed the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise ( TESTEX ) – a study quality and reporting assessment tool , design ed specifically for use in exercise training studies . Our tool is a 15-point scale ( 5 points for study quality and 10 points for reporting ) and addresses previously unmentioned quality assessment criteria specific to exercise training studies . Results : There were no systematic differences between the summated TESTEX scores of each observer [ H(2 ) = 0.392 , P = 0.822 ] . There was a significant association between the summated TESTEX scores of the three observers , with almost perfect agreement between observers 1 and 2 [ intra-class correlation coefficient ( ICC ) = 0.93 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) 0.82–0.97 , P < 0.001 ] , observers 1 and 3 ( ICC = 0.96 , 95 % CI 0.89–0.98 , P < 0.001 ) and observers 2 and 3 ( ICC = 0.91 , 95 % CI 0.75–0.96 , P < 0.001 ) . Conclusions : The TESTEX scale is a new , reliable tool , specific to exercise scientists , that facilitates a comprehensive review of exercise training trials
Conclusions HB exercise is slightly more effective than CB rehabilitation in terms of maintaining EC .
Background Exercise-based cardiovascular rehabilitation ( CR ) improves exercise capacity ( EC ) , lowers cardiovascular risk profile and increases physical functioning in the short term .
However , uptake of and adherence to a physically active lifestyle in the long run remain problematic .
Home-based ( HB ) exercise programmes have been introduced in an attempt to enhance long-term adherence to recommended levels of physical activity ( PA ) .
The current systematic review and meta- analysis aim ed to compare the longer-term effects of HB exercise programmes with usual care ( UC ) or centre-based ( CB ) CR in patients referred for CR .