06 Jul PAD: Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mary McGrae McDermott, MD
Professor of Medicine
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Contributing Editor, JAMA

Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention in Peripheral Artery Disease
A Randomized Clinical Trial

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? 

Answer: The goals trial found that a group-mediated cognitive behavioral intervention significantly improved six-minute walk performance, physical activity levels, and patient-perceived walking performance compared to a control group.  The gains in six-minute walk in the intervention group were consistent with a large meaningful change in walking performance.

were any of the findings unexpected?

the magnitude of the gain in six-minute walk was greater than that observed in supervised treadmill exercise interventions in people with pad.  In addition, our prior work shows that a supervised treadmill exercise intervention does not significantly increase physical activity levels in daily life.  However, the current home-based intervention significantly improved physical activity levels in daily life.

MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?



Answer:  That home-based exercise can be effective in people with peripheral artery disease.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study? 

Answer: Our intervention required meetings at the medical center once weekly.  Future research should focus on home-based exercise interventions for people with peripheral artery disease that do not require any regular visits to the medical center.

Citation:

McDermott MM, Liu K, Guralnik JM, et al. Home-Based Walking Exercise Intervention in Peripheral Artery Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2013;310(1):57-65. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.7231.

Last Updated on September 19, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD