New program targets exercise fear in heart patients
NCT ID NCT05398276
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a 6-session program called BE-FIT that helps cardiac rehabilitation patients reduce anxiety about exercise. The program uses gradual exposure to feared sensations, prevents safety behaviors, and uses activity monitors for feedback. Researchers will enroll 146 adults aged 40+ with high exercise anxiety to see if the program increases exercise minutes and attendance.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Behavioral Exposure for Interoceptive Tolerance (BE-FIT) program
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide an effective way to help cardiac rehab patients overcome exercise anxiety and become more physically active.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small, early-stage trial (146 participants) testing a behavioral intervention, so results may not apply to everyone. The program requires multiple sessions and may not work for all patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 146 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2022
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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40 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. ≥ 40 years of age 2. Elevated exercise anxiety (score of ≥ 30 on ESQ-18) 3. Low active (\< 90 min self-reported moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity/day in past three months) 4. Medically approved cardiac rehabilitation 5. English proficiency Exclusion Criteria: 1. Evidence of cognitive impairment (≤ 23 on Montreal Cognitive Assessment; MoCA) 2. Severe disabling chronic medical and/or psychiatric comorbidities determined on a case-by-case basis that prevents safe or adequate participation 3. Expectation that patient will not live through study periods
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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RWJ Cardiac Rehab at East Brunswick
RECRUITINGEast Brunswick, New Jersey, 08816, United States
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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
RECRUITINGHillsborough, New Jersey, 08844, United States
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Rutgers Emotion, Health and Behavior Laboratory Department of Psychology
RECRUITINGNew Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, United States
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