Kinesiologists in Clinical Exercise Interventional Research for Stroke and Coronary Artery Disease: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

Background: Kinesiology contributions to research and implementation of programs for cardiovascular disease have not been documented. This scoping review assesses kinesiology affiliates participation in exercise interventional research. Methods: The review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. Eligible studies included individuals diagnosed with coronary artery (CAD) or heart disease (CHD) or stroke participating in exercise interventions supervised or designed by a kinesiologist affiliate (exercise physiologist, kinesiologist, exercise trainer, exercise therapist). Results: The search in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, PsychINFO, SPORTDiscus, and CINAHL yielded 219 studies, including 13,874 participants (5,242 CAD, 4,526 CHD, and 4,106 post-stroke). Randomized controlled trials were the most common study design (52%). Kinesiologists were involved in 70% of the studies and supervised 23%. Forty percent did not specify the supervisor. Kinesiologists are involved in prevention and rehabilitation exercise studies that look to improve feasibility of practice, aerobic fitness, muscle and body composition, functional capacity, gait, neurological, psychosocial, and cardiovascular outcomes. Conclusions: Documentation of kinesiology contributions to research for patients with cardiovascular disease may enhance their acceptance in research and care for people with impaired cardiovascular health.

KEY FINDINGS

• Kinesiology affiliates frequently implement and supervise clinical exercise interventions in stroke, CAD, and CHD populations

• Kinesiology affiliates make contributions to high-quality evidence generating research and patient care

• Clinical exercise intervention supervisors are often kinesiology affiliates but are not identified in 40% of research reports

KEYWORDS:

• Coronary artery disease
• exercise
• intervention
• kinesiology
• review
• stroke

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2023.2212717.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through Faculty Development funds of ST.