All-female cardiac rehabilitation programs may offer better outcomes for women, a new study finds.

Cardiac rehabilitation is designed for people who suffer heart attack, as well as other cardiac problems. 

Such programs, which offer medically supervised exercise, lifestyle change and support, are proven to cut deaths by 25 percent and reduce hospitalizations as well,  but women are less likely to participate in them, statistics show.

Canadian researchers compared health behaviors and psychosocial outcomes of women randomly allocated to women's-only cardiac rehabilitation programs with those participating traditional mixed-sex or home-based programs.

They found the women who attended the all-female programs reported less depression and anxiety than those in the coed program. Their diet and exercise levels were also improved in comparison to those in the traditional mixed-sex programs.

This study shows that women should be given the opportunity to chose which type of program they prefer, the researchers said of their study, which appears in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.