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(NewMediaWire) - May 20, 2015 - DALLAS - Group behavioral therapy that encouraged walking at home significantly improved and prevented mobility loss among patients with clogged arteries in the legs, according to research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), clogged arteries in the legs can cause pain and fatigue while walking. Maintaining mobility is integral to preserving functional independence, social interactions and daily activities.

Although studies have shown that supervised exercise on a treadmill improves walking endurance among people with PAD, insurance usually doesn’t pay for it and traveling to an exercise facility regularly may be difficult.

Previously, the researchers found that group behavioral therapy improved six-minute walking distance, treadmill walking time and physical activity in PAD patients. But the effects of behavioral therapy on mobility remained unclear.

In this study, 194 PAD patients, 65 and older, were randomly assigned to an exercise or control group. For six months, the exercise participants attended weekly, facilitator-led group meetings that encouraged walking exercise at home at least five days a week. The control participants attended weekly lectures on health topics unrelated to exercise.

During a second six month period, those in the exercise group received phone calls from the facilitator, who encouraged them to continue walking at least five days a week.

Researchers found:

“These findings are particularly important because PAD patients have significantly higher rates of mobility loss compared to those without PAD,” said Mary McDermott, M.D., lead author of the study and Jeremiah Stamler Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.

PAD is more common among older adults, and smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol increase the risk. It’s easy to diagnose and can be managed with lifestyle changes and medication.

“Patients should understand that home-based exercise can help prevent mobility loss, and healthcare providers should recognize that this kind of exercise can be beneficial for their patients with PAD,” McDermott said.

Co-authors are Jack M. Guralnik, M.D., Ph.D.; Michael H. Criqui, M.D., M.P.H.; Luigi Ferrucci, M.D., Ph.D.; Kiang Liu, Ph.D.; Bonnie Spring, Ph.D.; Lu Tian, Sc.D.; Kathryn Domanchuk, B.S.; Melina Kibbe, M.D.; Lihui Zhao, Ph.D.; Donald Lloyd Jones, M.D.; Yihua Liao, M.S.; Ying Gao, M.S.; and W. Jack Rejeski, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health funded the study.

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Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association’s policy or position. The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.heart.org/corporatefunding.