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Background: Few mobile health resistance-based physical activity interventions have targeted community-dwelling adults. "Ecofit" is a multicomponent intervention that promotes resistance and aerobic activities using smartphone technology, outdoor gyms, and social support. This study evaluated process evaluation outcomes of the ecofit randomized controlled trial: (1) the acceptability and usability of the ecofit smartphone app and app user workouts; (2) perceptions of factors influencing outdoor gym use; and (3) the fidelity, reach, recruitment, and dose received of the ecofit program. Methods: Process data were collected through program evaluation surveys at 3 months, and app usage data were collected via the intervention platform for up to 3 months. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The survey was completed by 57% (n = 69) of eligible participants. The majority (93%) believed the app provided them with sufficient information to perform muscle-strengthening activities. Approximately half (51%) agreed that the goal-setting function encouraged them to complete their workouts, and 42% agreed that the self-assessment helped them monitor progress. "Proximity" to outdoor gyms emerged as the most important factor for choosing locations to workout (mean = 5.5, SD = 1.1). Participants logged a median of 5.5 (interquartile range = 19) workouts and 1 (interquartile range = 1) upper- and lower-body muscular fitness self-assessment. Conclusions: The ecofit app provided participants with sufficient skills to perform unsupervised resistance training exercises using mobile health. Only half of the participants regarded self-assessments and goal setting as useful, suggesting a need for modifications to how these are implemented. Mobile health remains a promising delivery platform to promote unsupervised resistance training, although more research is needed to improve uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 global pandemic greatly impacted lifestyles and physical activity routines. This study explored how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted participant experience and motivation in ecofit, a large, community-based, multicomponent intervention that supports aerobic and resistance-based physical activity using publicly available, outdoor exercise facilities and smartphone technology. Methods: Fifteen participants from the intervention arm of the study were interviewed. Audiotaped telephone interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed by a researcher uninvolved in the intervention. Through an inductive thematic approach, data were coded and organized into themes. The quantitative measure of participant smartphone application engagement was used as a classification during analysis. Results: Several themes representing participants' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in their engagement with ecofit, overall physical activity levels, motivation to exercise, and perception and usage of outdoor gym facilities were identified. Conclusion: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical trials is beginning to emerge. Although the present study showed a mixed impact of the pandemic on participation in the ecofit program, the overall implications for the intervention are yet to be determined. Interestingly, although a large review found a negative impact of COVID-19 on physical activity, this sample reported an overall increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To perform a systematic review of completion rates of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in adults aged 18 to 50 yr and describe how core components were reported, measured, and tailored to those under 50 yr., Review Methods: Database search of MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library based on keywords, including articles from January 1, 1990. The last search was performed on April 21, 2023. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses protocol, eligible articles contained adults (aged between 18 and 50 yr) who had participated in a CR program., Summary: Out of the articles screened (n = 24,517), 33 reports across 31 independent studies were considered eligible (n = 1958 patients aged ≤50 yr). Cardiac rehabilitation completion rates ranged from 64% to 100%; however, only 5 studies presented a completion rate definition. The length of the program ranged from 7 d to 20 wk, with most (65%) ranging between 6 and 12 wk. While the studies included in this systematic review indicated relatively high rates of completing CR, these are likely to overrepresent the true completion rates as few definitions were provided that could be compared to completion rates used in clinical practice. This systematic review also found that all interventions prescribed exercise (eg, aerobic alone or combined with resistance training or yoga) but had very limited inclusion or description of other integral components of CR (eg, initial assessment and smoking cessation) or how they were assessed and individualized to meet the needs of younger attendees., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)