Manipulating Exercise Intensity and Affective Responses on a Cardiac Rehabiliattion Program for Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if pleasure-oriented exercise intensity manipulation increases physical activity (PA) behavior in patients who have suffered acute coronary syndrome during a cardiac rehabilitation program. The main question it aims to answer is: • the manipulation of exercise intensity performed to produce more pleasure and arousal will impact the PA behavior? Researchers will compare the PA levels and affective responses to see if the manipulation of exercise intensity guided to pleasure and arousal works to increase PA behavior compared to the control group who will follow a conventional exercise program. Participants will do: * sixteen individualized hospital exercise sessions (two per week) and complementary physical activity program integrated into their daily life * be evaluated before and at the end of the exercise sessions and after 3 months
⁃ Selection criteria include:
• patients older than 18 years
• diagnosis of ACS within the past 12 months who have not previously participated in a CR program
• patients classified as low-risk (Class B) according to the American Heart Association: (a) New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or II, (b) exercise capacity greater than 6 METs, (c) no evidence of heart failure, (d) no signs of myocardial ischemia or angina at rest or during exercise testing at or below 6 METs, (e) appropriate systolic blood pressure response during exercise, and (f) absence of sustained or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia at rest or during exercise.