The Impact of Exercise on Short-term Memory Fading of Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients in Rural Eastern Kentucky

Abstract

About 60% of cardiac patients experience some cognitive impairment and may develop negative cognitive functioning after revascularization procedures. Cognitive impairment can be a major impediment of teaching cardiac patients lifestyle behavior changes, such as the importance of starting an exercise program. Impaired short-term memory could limit understanding of the facts, or their immediate importance. However, there is evidence that exercise may improve short-term memory. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of exercise on the acute fading effect of short-term memory for cardiac patients. The conceptual framework is supported by human information processing theories and the Brown Peterson paradigm. This quantitative, quasi-experimental study tested cardiac patients’ short-term memory fading, using a short-term memory test, pre and post 60 minutes of exercise. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the mean scores for each memory test. The target population was from a rural southeastern US State, where one sample of 40 cardiac patients that experienced revascularization procedures was studied. An immediate increase in scores was observed after exercise, which persisted for 15 minutes, and then began to fade. Thus, an ideal window of delivery of cardiac patient educational information was identified immediately, following exercise. A fading of scores was identified throughout the duration of the study, which means participant effort level decreased with continued testing. The positive social change implications include understanding the optimal delivery timing of educational counseling for cardiac patients, in a clinical setting that can result in improvements in short-term memory. Structured Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of exercise on the acute fading effect of short-term memory for cardiac patients. Methods: This quantitative, quasi-experimental study tested cardiac patients’ short-term memory fading, using a short-term memory test, pre and post 60 minutes of exercise. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the mean scores for each memory test. Results: An immediate increase in scores was observed after exercise, which persisted for 15 minutes, and then began to fade. The interaction of time and day was used to best analyze effects and report results. The time effect (relationship of exercise on short-term memory over time) is reported using Wilks’ Lambda results from the multivariate tests. Wilks’s Λ=.19, F(3, 38)=55.52, p<.001, multivariate η2=.81. The day effect results are Wilks’s Λ=.88, F(2, 39)=2.71, p=.081, multivariate η 2 =.12. Thus, an ideal window of delivery of cardiac patient educational information