A prospective investigation of anthropometric characteristics and physical activity levels in people with SCAD

Background Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognised cause of acute coronary syndrome that affects men and women with no or minimal cardiovascular risk. Aim Identify the demographic and anthropometric characteristics, and physical activity levels of people with a recent (< 3 months) SCAD diagnosis. Methods Participants completed a survey that included questions regarding demographic characteristics and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short-form to determine physical activity levels. Anthropometric measurements (hip and waist circumference, height, and body mass) were performed by the participants with guidance from the researcher. Data were used to calculate body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 29 to check for normality and generate descriptive statistics. Ethical approval was granted from the Health Research Ethics Committee at Edge Hill University (ETH2223-0225). Results Forty people consented to participate in the study from November 2023 until April 2024, and 25 of these (24 women and 1 man) met the inclusion criteria. Mean age ±SD was 48.4 ± 10.38 years; 72% of participants were participating in cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR), 20% were yet to attend, and 8% had not participated in CR. A healthy BMI was observed in 52% of participants, with 28%, 12% and 8% having overweight, obesity, and being underweight, respectively. Waist-to-height ratio showed healthy central adiposity in 40% of participants, 48% had increased central adiposity and 12% had high central adiposity. Physical activity levels of most participants were moderate (68%), with less participants having high (16%) and low (16%) levels. Conclusion Demographic and anthropometric characteristics of the participants are similar to previous studies. Cardiovascular rehabilitation seemed to be offered and accessed by most participants. Because this cohort of participants had a recent SCAD diagnosis, their physical activity levels might have differed pre-SCAD and reflect the activities performed in CR.