Effect of exercise training on dimensions of quality of life and fatigue in people with congestive heart failure class II and III: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Improved living conditions and increased life expectancy have led to aging in societies. Increased incidence of chronic heart disease is one of the most important economic, social, and health challenges of the 21st century. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of exercise training on dimensions of quality of life and mental status in people with congestive heart failure Class II and III. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on patients with chronic heart failure. For this purpose, 52 eligible patients were chosen and randomly divided into case and control groups. The participants in the case group were asked to follow an exercise program three sessions per week in the morning for 24 weeks. This exercise program comprised 5–10 min of warming, 20–30 min of exercise, and 5 min of cool-down. Data were collected by the SF-36 questionnaire and analyzed by the SPSS version 18. Results: The results revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean score of various dimensions of quality of life including NYHA functional Classes II (P = 0.032) and III (P = 0.027), fatigue, BP, and general health in Classes II (P < 0.001) and III (P = 0.021) between the two groups before and after the intervention. Conclusion: Given that exercise leads to improvement of physical functioning, role-physical, role-emotional, social functioning, mental status, general health, and lower levels of fatigue and body pain in patients with congestive heart failure, it is recommended that patients incorporate regular exercise into their daily routines.