Physical activity levels in Atlantic Canadian CVD Patients Melanie Keats, Cindy Forbes, Scott Grandy, & Yunsong Cui Click here to see the full brief Sixty years ago as many as 35% of Canadians who suffered a heart attack did not survive. Today, through early diagnosis and improved treatment options, as many as 95% of those who reach a hospital will survive. As a result, an estimated 1.3 million Canadians are living with heart disease and an additional 317,500 are living with the effects of stroke. Despite improved survival rates, many of those with a history of a heart attack or stroke struggle to recover and are often unable to maintain potentially lifesaving behavioral modifications. For example, despite the well documented health and cardio-protective benefits associated with physical activity, many individuals struggle to maintain optimal levels of physical activity following cardiac rehabilitation. Using a population based sample from Atlantic Canada, this report describes and compares the physical activity levels of individuals with a self-reported history of a major cardiovascular event (i.e., myocardial infarction and/or stroke) with those who have never experienced either event.

Associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep duration and quality Cindy Forbes and Vanessa DeClercq Click here to see the full brief Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality has been linked to many poor physical and mental health outcomes including cardiovascular disease (CVD), depression, anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and all-cause mortality. Of note, sleep quality has not only been associated with poorer health outcomes, but has been shown to exacerbate associations between other unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and health outcomes. Additionally, existing treatments for sleep disorders, while effective, may have side-effects. Physical activity (PA) has been suggested as a possible alternative treatment among general and chronic disease populations. Engaging in regular PA has been linked to changes in sleep circadian rhythms, thermogenic regulation, body weight, physical fitness, anxiety, depression, and pain; any of which could be a possible mechanism by which PA impacts sleep. While emerging evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour (SB) may also be associated with poor self-reported sleep outcomes, very little research on SB and sleep associations was found. The goal of this report is to examine any associations between PA or SB and sleep duration or quality among a cohort of Atlantic Canadians.