The second study extended to 17 years, the follow-up of the National Exercise and Heart Disease Project (NEHDP), a multi-center, randomized clinical trial designed to study the effects of a regular, medically prescribed and supervised exercise program on the rehabilitation of male survivors (ages 30-64 at baseline) of a myocardial infarction (MI). Three year findings from the trial reported non-significant differences between the treatment and control groups for all-cause mortality, and recurrent MI in favor of the exercise group. Other outcomes favoring the treatment group were reported after one year and included increased physical working capacity, and decreased body fat, diastolic blood pressure, and triglycerides. The study determined vital status for all original study participants, and cause of death in the deceased. The longer follow-up permitted analysis of whether the long-term survival of the treatment group differed from that of the controls. In addition, the investigators were able to assess if the risk factor changes observed in the first year of the trial were present after three years, whether these changes were related to long-term survival, whether differences in mortality observed in sub-groups (i.e. smokers) after three years remained after 17 years, and whether baseline patient characteristics (i.e., anxiety and depression) predicted mortality.