Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41875187›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2026

The STRENGTH Study: A cluster randomised controlled trial of the effect of a behaviour change intervention added to cardiac rehabilitation on physical activity adherence.

Clare T M Doherty, Mark A Tully, Jason J Wilson, Leonie Heron, Helen McAneney, Victoria Irving, Lisa Spratt, Rachel O'Reilly, Kim Kensitt, Nicole E Blackburn

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05705310 (The STRENGTH Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05705310 nacompletednot on this map

The STRENGTH Study: Self-management and Theory-based Rehabilitation Encouraging New Gateways to Healthy-Hearts

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of UlsterRan2023 to 2024Enrolled96ConditionsCoronary DiseaseArmsSelf Management Strategies
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Clare T M DohertySchool of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, United Kingdom.
Mark A TullySchool of Medicine, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, United Kingdom.
Jason J WilsonSchool of Sport and Exercise Science, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5558-8399
Leonie HeronInstitute of Social and Preventative Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Helen McAneneySchool of Medicine, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5248-7872
Victoria IrvingBetter Belfast, Greenwich Leisure Limited, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Lisa SprattNational Health Service, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Rachel O'ReillySouth Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Lisburn, United Kingdom.
Kim KensittBelfast Health Development Unit, Public Health Agency, Belfast, United Kingdom.
Nicole E BlackburnSchool of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4379-6312

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCoronary heart disease is the leading cause of global mortality, imposing significant health and economic burdens. Cardiac rehabilitation, including physical activity, can reduce coronary heart disease-related morbidity and mortality. We tested whether the addition of a behaviour change intervention to cardiac rehabilitation could promote and maintain physical activity achieved during cardiac rehabilitation, beyond standard care timeframes.

methodsA cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted across six community-based maintenance stage cardiac rehabilitation classes. A total of 96 participants (mean age 65.04 ± 8.38 years; 75% male) received either standard care or a behaviour change intervention, with physical activity, measured with an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer as the primary outcome.

resultsNo significant differences in daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and steps per day, or any secondary outcomes, including self-rated health, quality of life, and mental wellbeing, were observed between the intervention and control groups at six months follow-up. These findings suggests that the behaviour change intervention did not significantly impact physical activity or health outcomes during maintenance cardiac rehabilitation. This may be attributed to high baseline physical activity levels among participants, and the extended cardiac rehabilitation support provided to both groups, potentially masking any intervention effects.

conclusionA behaviour change intervention added to standard maintenance stage cardiac rehabilitation did not improve physical activity or health outcomes. However, continued access to cardiac rehabilitation sustained high physical activity levels. Future research should disentangle the independent effects of behaviour interventions and ongoing cardiac rehabilitation support.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05705310.

Indexed as

Behavior TherapyCardiac RehabilitationExercisePatient ComplianceAdherence InterventionsAgedFemaleHealth BehaviorHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID41875187
PMCPMC13012500

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.