Adherence to health recommendations after a cardiac rehabilitation programme in post-myocardial infarction patients: the role of health beliefs, locus of control and psychological status

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of adherence to medical recommendations and health advice among post-myocardial infarction patients and determine the factors that may influence adherence. This study took a quantitative approach and structured questionnaires were used with a convenience sample of 52 patients. All patients reported that they were taking medication as directed all the time. Most patients were adhering well with a health diet (80.8% “often” or “all the time”), but lower levels of adherence were observed with regards to adherence with weight loss (25%), physical activity (65.4%), social activity (44.2%), smoking cessation (28.8%) and alcohol use (19.2%). Key predictors of adherence were found to be the extent family members encourage patients to follow health advice in relation to following a healthy diet, health locus of control (powerful other) in relation to adherence with weight loss, past medical history, anxiety and internal health locus of control in relation to adherence with physical activity, and finally depression, gender and internal locus of control in relation to adherence with social activities advice. Families should also be part of cardiac rehabilitation programmes as they can influence adherence, and beliefs or personality characteristics that influence adherence should be assessed in post-myocardial infarction patients in order to identify who is more likely to be nonadherent and thus provide more individualised support.