Research indicates that impairment of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) leads to reduced physical activity (PA) in daily life. However, these studies often rely on subjective measures such as questionnaires and interviews to assess PA.

This study examined the association between IADL frequency and objectively measured PA in stable individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

In this cross-sectional study, we included people with CVD who had been receiving outpatient care under stable conditions for at least 6 months. IADL frequency was assessed using the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI). PA was measured using accelerometers over 2 weeks to calculate the daily average number of steps, low-intensity PA (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous–intensity PA (MVPA). A multivariate linear regression model analyzed the associations between the FAI scores (total and sub-items) and PA levels.

This study included 1126 stable participants with CVD (median age, 74.0 years; 278 females). After adjusting for clinical confounding factors, a high FAI total score was significantly associated with higher levels of PA (number of steps per day, unstandardized coefficient [В] = 78.1, LPA per day, В = 0.7, and MVPA per day, В = 0.2). In the FAI subitems, 4 housework and 6 leisure activities were positively associated with the daily average number of steps and LPA, and 2 leisure activities were positively associated with daily MVPA.

Greater IADL frequency was associated with higher objectively measured PA in stable participants with CVD. Leisure-related activities were associated with increased MVPA, suggesting that encouraging these activities may help promote meaningful PA engagement in this population.