FAQ: Women's Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation Access and Participation

What is cardiac rehabilitation and what benefits does it provide?

Cardiac rehabilitation is a proven intervention that includes aerobic exercise, strength training, nutrition counseling, weight management, and cardiovascular disease risk factor management. It offers benefits such as reduced hospital readmission rates, lower mortality rates, and enhanced quality of life.

Why are women underrepresented in cardiac rehabilitation programs?

Women are less likely to be referred to cardiac rehab and face enrollment rates 36% lower than men. They also encounter barriers including caregiving responsibilities, transportation challenges, scheduling conflicts, financial constraints, and limited social support.

What specific barriers do women face in accessing cardiac rehabilitation?

Women face individual and societal barriers including caregiving responsibilities, transportation challenges, scheduling conflicts, financial constraints (including lack of health insurance), limited social support, and higher co-payments or transportation costs, particularly affecting women from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.

How do cardiac rehabilitation outcomes differ between women and men?

Women who participate in cardiac rehabilitation programs experience greater reduction in mortality compared to men. However, women entering cardiac rehab tend to be older and have more co-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and/or obesity.

What are the referral rate disparities for cardiac rehabilitation among different groups of women?

Referral rates to cardiac rehab vary significantly among women of different racial and ethnic groups: 48% for white women, 34% for Black women, and 15% for Hispanic women, highlighting substantial disparities in access to these programs.

What improvements do participants experience in cardiac rehabilitation programs?

Participants experience improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors including higher rates of tobacco cessation, greater reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improvements in fasting glucose levels, leading to better long-term cardiovascular health.

What is the American Heart Association’s position on addressing these disparities?

The American Heart Association’s scientific statement calls for urgent need to improve awareness about cardiac rehabilitation benefits, increase referral rates for women, and eliminate barriers so women can participate and embrace the opportunity for longer, healthier, happier lives.

Who is leading the effort to address these cardiac rehabilitation disparities?

The scientific statement is led by Dr. Thais Coutinho, professor of medicine and director of the Aorta Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who emphasizes the importance of personalized care and support for women with heart disease.

When was this scientific statement about women’s cardiac rehabilitation published?

The American Heart Association’s scientific statement on cardiac rehabilitation in women was published on October 14, 2025, in the Association’s flagship journal Circulation.