Helping people stay active after a heart attack
Official title: A novel psychological-behavioral intervention to promote physical activity after acute coronary syndrome
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11097385 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is testing a new way to help people who have had a heart attack become more physically active using phone calls and positive thinking exercises.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $828,320 |
| NIH project number | 5R33HL158529-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11097385 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals who have recently experienced an acute coronary syndrome (heart attack) and are looking for support to increase their physical activity levels.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are already highly active or not interested in psychological-behavioral support for physical activity may not find additional benefit from this program.
What this research studies
Many people find it hard to get enough physical activity after experiencing a heart attack, even though it's very important for recovery. While in-person programs can help, not many people attend them. This project combines two helpful approaches: motivational interviewing, which uses phone calls to encourage activity, and positive psychology, which teaches skills to improve well-being. We believe that by boosting your positive outlook and helping you set personal activity goals, this combined approach can make it easier to stay active and recover better.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more people recover better and live healthier lives by making it easier to be physically active after a heart attack.
How similar studies have gone: While motivational interviewing has shown modest success and positive psychology has increased activity in other medical conditions, this specific combination is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huffman, Jeff C — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Huffman, Jeff C
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.