• 7-day physical activity levels: waist mounted pedometer will be worn to measure distance (km) over a period of 9 days and will be recorded in an activity log, as well as, reported intensity and duration of activities at a moderate level+
  
• 7-day physical activity recall (PAR): interview administered following the pedometer wear to verify the completeness of the patient recorded activity log and to account for leisure and occupational/domestic activities
  
• Primary outcomes measured at baseline and 6 and 12 months
  

• Psychosocial and Environmental Mediators (questionnaire): psychosocial and environmental mediators of physical activity
  
• Quality of Life (questionnaire): heart disease health-related quality of life
  
• generic quality of life
  
• secondary outcomes measured at baseline and 6 and 12 months
  
• Health Care Systems Costs (questionnaire and telephone): the costs of in-person and telephone-based behavioral counseling sessions and any additional health care relating to coronary artery disease (CAD)
  
• the use of health care resources will be measured for medical event updates, patient related costs and work absenteeism
  
• cost utility analysis to assess for cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY)
  
• measured at 3 (telephone), 6 (questionnaire), 9 (telephone) and 12 (questionnaire) months
  

Most existing cardiac rehabilitation programs have little ability to expand participation using traditional delivery models that emphasize supervised, facility-based programs. Furthermore, facility-based programs to promote physical activity behavior in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) are limited in their impact because most patients are unwilling to travel more than 30-45 minutes to participate in a program. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute Prevention and Rehabilitation Centre (Ottawa, Canada) has developed a telephone-based counseling program, specifically to support heart patients in becoming more physically active. The study will involve patients either participating in a 12-month physical activity counseling (PAC) program, or receiving usual care after they are discharged from hospital. For patients assigned to the PAC group, a face-to-face meeting with a physical activity counselor will occur within 10 days to 2 weeks after being discharged from hospital. At this time the patient will be provided with a personalized physical activity program which will be tailored based on prior activity levels, clinical history, and recovery. The PAC patients will also receive eight telephone-based counseling sessions at 2, 4, 8, 14, 20 and 24 weeks, and 2 telephone maintenance contacts at 40 and 52 weeks after hospital discharge. Each telephone call is scheduled to last 10-15 minutes. For patients assigned to the usual care (UC) group, they will receive the physical activity advice and care usually provided to patients discharged from hospital. Following hospitalization, usual care typically includes a follow-up visit(s) with your cardiologist and/or family doctor. If requested, an activity program will be provided to usual care group participants after the study has finished. In addition, the patients will also be required to complete five research questionnaires, and two telephone interviews. The study will track all participants for a period of one year from the time they are discharged from hospital. Over the next twelve months 252 patients from the Ottawa Heart Institute are expected to take part in the study.