Subjects were recruited from a hospital. Inclusion criteria were: female with ischemic heart disease: ejection fraction over 40%; younger than 76 years; and no diagnosis of depression. Performance Status (PS) and the 16 items from the Beth Israel Functional Status Questionnaire (BIFS) were used to measure the types of physical activities. PS responses ranged from 0 to 4 (0: fully active, 4: completely disabled), while the BIFS responses ranged from 0 to 4 (1: much difficulty, 4: no difficulty) with 0 indicating that the item was not usually done for other reasons. During this study, the data of 12 subjects collected at 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year following discharge were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

The mean age was 66.3±6.5 years. At 1, 3, and 12 months, PS activity levels above 1 were found in 10 subjects (83%), 7 subjects (58%), and 10 subjects (83%), respectively. In more than 50% of subjects at all three time points, 6 BIFS items were not usually done for other reasons. The number of items with a mean score greater than 3 was 11 at 1 month, 12 at 3 months, and 12 at 12 months.

These results suggest that women with cardiac events may change the kinds of daily physical activities that they perform because their self-care levels are highly maintained. To increase QOL over the course of the recovery process, women might need support to challenge them to do various kinds of activities in secure environments.