Barriers to and motives for engagement in an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programme in Ireland: a qualitative study

Background: Insuficient physical activity (PA) is a leading risk factor for premature death worldwide. Ireland’s public healthcare system, the Health Service Executive (HSE), has supported the development of the National Exercise Referral Framework (NERF) to tackle low levels of PA amongst those with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). ‘NERF centres’ are medically supervised PA programmes across Ireland that have established referral pathways with local hospitals and general practitioners. ULMedX is one such NERF centre offering exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (EBCR) with the aim of intervention development to reduce early drop-out and maximise adherence for optimal health benefits. Aim: The purpose of this research was to identify the major factors influencing participants’ adherence and early drop-out at ULMedX. Exploring areas for future development were also prioritised.