Prevention & lipidsCohort study
Temporal trends in sociodemographic and risk factors among patients enrolled in cardiovascular rehabilitation over 25 years
- retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Despite encouraging trends toward greater diversity, females, non-White individuals, and those with lower educational attainment remain underrepresented in CR, highlighting persistent equity gaps in enrollment. Additionally, encouraging improvements were observed in key cardiometabolic and behavioural risk factors, including lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol levels, reduced physical inactivity, and fewer anxiety symptoms.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with cardiovascular diseases who enrolled in a cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) program at Canada's largest cardiovascular health centre between 2001 and 2025
- Participants
- 40,822 patients
- Exposure
- Temporal trends in sociodemographic characteristics, cardiometabolic risk factors, and health behaviours between 2001 and 2025
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Age · annually
participant age increasing annually
0.3 years
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odds of being female · over time | 1.004 (1.001–1.008) | P = 0.02 | |
| Odds of being non-White · over time | 1.02 (1.01–1.03) | P < 0.001 | |
| Odds of being not married · over time | 1.02 (1.02–1.03) | P < 0.001 | |
| Odds of being occupationally inactive · over time · decreased over time | 0.95 (0.94–0.96) | P < 0.001 | |
| Low moderate-to-vigorous physical activity · over time · declined over time | 0.98 (0.98–0.99) | P < 0.001 | |
| Moderate-to-high anxiety symptoms · over time · declined over time | 0.98 (0.98–0.99) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.512Odds ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | annual change (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systolic blood pressure · annual · decrease | −0.37 (−0.41 - −0.33) | P < 0.001 | |
| LDL cholesterol · annual · decrease | −0.02 (−0.02 - −0.02) | P < 0.001 | |
| −0.6−0.4−0.200.2Difference (linear scale) |
Baseline characteristics
- mean (SD) age
- 63 (13) years
- females
- 30.7%
- with coronary artery disease
- 59.5%
Cardiovascular condition
- Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease
- 59%
- valvular heart disease
- 14%
- arrhythmias
- 10%
Original publication
Temporal trends in sociodemographic and risk factors among patients enrolled in cardiovascular rehabilitation over 25 years. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. Published 24 September 2026. doi:10.1093/ehjqcco/qcag150
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it