Exercise training is a key facet of cardiac rehabilitation and is associated with irrefutable benefits for individuals with coronary heart disease. However, compliance with and adherence to such interventions are challenging among this population. The incorporation of music into exercise training may be a potential approach to address this issue.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of recorded music listening during exercise on adherence to physical activity and health outcomes in individuals with coronary heart disease.

A systematic review was conducted by searching 7 English databases for reports of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies evaluating the effects of recorded music listening during exercise on adherence to physical activity and physical, psychological, and cognitive outcomes in adults with coronary heart disease. Two reviewers independently screened records for eligibility, extracted data, and assessed the quality of reports by using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool tool.

We identified 7 studies involving 293 participants (mean age 62.6 to 72 years, men: 57% to 80%). All but one study included relatively small samples (17 to 56). The overall quality was weak for 3 studies, moderate for 2, and strong for 2. Several reviewed studies showed significant effects of music on attendance at exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (1 of 2 studies), maintenance of physical activity after intervention (1 study), perceived exertion (2 of 3 studies), exercise capacity (1 of 3 studies), heart rate during exercise (1 of 2 studies), male waist circumference (1 of 2 studies), mood (2 of 3 studies), and cognitive function (1 study) as compared with controls.

This review provides relatively limited evidence for the potential benefits of recorded music listening during exercise in individuals with coronary heart disease. The findings should be carefully interpreted and generalised. Further rigorous-designed research addressing the limitations of current literature is needed.