# What matters to cardiac patients? The impact of linking life goals to health goals on patients' intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle: an online experiment

## TL;DR

This study explores how linking life goals to health goals affects lifestyle change intentions in cardiac patients, finding that it may help lower-educated patients more.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach of linking life goals to health goals in cardiac rehabilitation and identifies its impact on specific patient subgroups.

## Key findings

- Linking life goals to health goals increased preference for stress management goals in cardiac patients.
- Lower- and medium-educated patients showed higher intention to change lifestyle when life and health goals were linked.
- Perceived meaning in life was positively associated with intention to change lifestyle in cardiac patients.

## Abstract

Guidelines advocate goal setting for promoting lifestyle changes in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients. This study investigates 1) preferences in health and life goal domains in CVD patients, 2) the impact of linking life goals to health goals on intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle and explores 3) socio‐demographic and health‐related variables influencing intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle.

Online experimental study.

Patients (N = 629, mean age 66.6; 39% female) were randomized to health‐goal‐group (HG) or life‐and‐health‐goal‐group (LHG). HG set a health goal, and LHG first established a life goal and then set a supporting health goal. Directly after goal setting, the primary outcome, intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle, was measured and analysed using logistic regression (high: 9–10 vs. lower: ≤8.5), as were the secondary outcomes.

Exercise goals were most frequently selected in LHG (66.0%) and HG (66.9%). Preference for selecting stress management was significantly higher in LHG (17.3%) than HG (9.3%), χ
2(1) = 8.85, p = .003; OR = 2.05, 95%CI [1.27–3.30]. The direct effect of goal‐setting condition on intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle was non‐significant (OR = .98, 95%CI [.71–1.34], p = .88). In exploratory analyses, lower‐ and medium‐educated patients showed significantly higher intention when life and health goals were linked (OR = 2.55, 95%CI [1.03–6.27], p = .04, and OR = 2.47, 95%CI [1.15–5.30], p = .02, respectively). Perceived meaning in life was positively associated with intention.

No main effect of goal‐setting condition on intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle was found. Linking life goals to health goals increased preference for stress management and, in exploratory analyses, was associated with higher intention‐to‐change‐lifestyle among lower‐ and medium‐educated patients. Findings emphasize the relevance of personalized, value‐based goal setting within cardiac rehabilitation.