Interventions for reducing sedentary behaviour in patients with coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

Abstract

Introduction Sedentary behaviour is associated with numerous adverse health outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease, independent of physical activity. Related interventions have improved sedentary behaviour in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, their effectiveness has remained inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively examine the efficacy of interventions for patients with CHD, thereby contributing to future implementation decisions to improve sedentary behaviour. Methods and analysis This protocol follows the guidelines for the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. Searches will be conducted in English and Chinese electronic databases from inception to 31 December 2024. All published randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies that report on reducing sedentary behaviour in patients with CHD will be included. Two authors will independently conduct study selection, data extraction and quality assessment. Study quality will be assessed using validated tools appropriate for each study design. The overall meta-analyses for sedentary behaviour outcomes will be performed if the outcome data are sufficient and provide similar effect measures and subgroup analyses based on demographic characteristics, intervention duration, intervention types, intervention content and measurement tools. We will conduct a qualitative synthesis for studies that could not be quantitatively synthesised. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this review as no human participants will be involved. The results will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed journal publication or academic conference. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023466985.