(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Nursing, 2007) Echeverri, Rebecca Chloe; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Charlene Winters
Cardiovascular disease is a significant health problem in rural states and complicated by the lack of access to specialized health care services such as cardiac rehabilitation programs. Researchers have documented that education, counseling, and behavioral interventions are important elements of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) that lead to decreased mortality and increased quality of life. Despite the known benefits of participation, only 10-20% of eligible persons in the United States participate in CR. While evidence exists to partially explain participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs, a major limitation of most studies reported in the literature is that they were conducted primarily in large urban areas. As a result, findings from these studies cannot be generalized to rural dwellers resulting in limited research examining participation in cardiac rehabilitation amongst rural persons.
