The Impact of Exercise on Short-term Memory Fading of Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients in Rural Eastern Kentucky
Abstract
Mark Deaton*
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.
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