Walking exercise in patients with intermittent claudication

Background: In patients with intermittent claudication, exercise in the form of walking is effective in reducing pain and maximising achievable walking distance. However, data are lacking on the implementation of walking exercise in these patients.

Aims: To explore the current behaviour and views of patients with intermittent claudication towards taking walking exercise.

Design of study: Postal questionnaire and focus group meetings.

Setting: Two academic general practice networks (Utrecht and Maastricht Universities) in The Netherlands.

Method: Three hundred and seventy-five patients with intermittent claudication, selected from the files of general practitioners participating in two academic general practice networks, were sent a postal questionnaire; 216 (58%) were returned. Nine of these responders also attended a focus group meeting.

Results: Seventy per cent (151/216) of the patients reported having received advice about walking exercise. If specified, the advice given most often recommended walking in the local neighbourhood (56%, 84/151). Fifty-two per cent (113/216) of all patients actually performed walking exercise and only 32%of them received any kind of supervision. Among the barriers for taking walking exercise, 'comorbidity', 'lack of (specific) advice' and 'lack of supervision' were often mentioned. Among the stimuli to start and continue walking, 'following the doctor's advice', 'relief of complaints' and 'a better general condition' were often mentioned by patients.

Conclusions: Walking exercise was not carried out by almost half of patients with intermittent claudication in this study. Lack of specific advice and supervision were found to be important barriers to taking walking exercise.