(OPTICARE-M/F) Towards a sex and gender sensitive approach of cardiac rehabilitation

Project summary

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is aimed at developing an active lifestyle and improving health. The CR guidelines are mainly based on research in men. Little is known about the effect of CR in women.
The OPTICARE-M/F study examines whether men and women benefit equally from CR and whether women benefit from additional programs for promoting an active lifestyle. In addition, the study examines whether other forms of diversity (age, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and educational level) influence the success of CR.

The outcomes of this study will improve the quality of CR for women in several ways: by improving awareness among health professionals of sex and/or gender differences in CR outcomes, and by initiating more targeted new research projects to optimize CR for women. It will be a first step towards adapting the CR guidelines for women.