Cardiac rehabilitation in Canada and Arab countries: comparing availability and program characteristics

Table 2 Assessment of Risk Factors and Components Offered

	Arab		Canadian
	n	%	n ^a	%
Risk Factors Assessed in the Program^c
Body Mass Index	5	100.0	35	100.0
Tobacco Use	5	100.0	35	97.2
Low and high-density lipoprotein	5	100.0	33	94.3
HbA1_c among patients with Diabetes	5	100.0	33	94.3
Total Cholesterol	5	100.0	32	94.1
Harmful Use of Alcohol	5	100.0	32	88.9
Blood Pressure	4	80.0	36	100.0
Waist Circumference	4	80.0	35	100.0
Triglycerides	4	80.0	27	81.8
Glucose for Non-Diabetics	4	80.0	27	81.8
Sleep Apnea	4	80.0	18	54.5
Time Being Sedentary	3	60.0	23	63.9
Other^d	0	0.0	4	57.1
Cardiac Rehabilitation Components
Patient Education	5	100.0	36	100.0
Initial Assessment	4	80.0	35	100.0
Exercise Prescription	4	80.0	35	100.0
Nutrition Counselling	4	80.0	34	100.0
Prescription or Titration of Secondary Prevention Medications	4	80.0	22	62.9
End of Program Re-Assessment	3	60.0	34	100.0
Supervised Exercise Training	3	60.0	35	100.0
Heart Rate Measurement	3	60.0	35	100.0
Communication with Primary Care	3	60.0	35	100.0
CVD Risk Factor Management	3	60.0	33	97.1
Relaxation techniques	3	60.0	33	97.1
Smoking Cessation	3	60.0	27	77.1
6-Minute Walk Test	3	60.0	24	72.7
Self-Management Training	3	60.0	22	66.7
Psychological Counselling	3	60.0	18	52.9
Women’s Only Classes	3	60.0	3	9.1
Physical Activity Counselling	2	40.0	35	100.0
Depression Screening	2	40.0	29	85.3
Exercise Stress Test	2	40.0	29	82.9
Other Stress Tests^e	1	20.0	8	26.7
Alternative Forms of Exercise^b	1	20.0	9	26.5

Abbreviations: HbA1_c Glycated Hemoglobin, CVD Cardiovascular disease
^aNote: Some respondents did not answer each item and so valid percentages are reported
^be.g., yoga, dance, tai chi
^crespondents were asked to check all that apply
^dOther responses included: stress, depression, and arthritis (which is not a risk factor per se)
^eFor the Arab program, it was cardiopulmonary exercise test; for the Canadian programs, respondents reported nuclear stress test, stress echocardiogram, and cardiopulmonary exercise test

ISSN: 1472-6963