The aim of the study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed Fear of Activity in Situations - Heart Failure (FActS-HF 15) scale. The FActS-HF 15 is a questionnaire assessing fear of physical activity (fear of movement) in patients with chronic heart failure. FActS-HF 15 assesses cognitions and emotions that can occur during physical activity, independent of avoidance behavior. Firstly, the study aims at evaluating the instrument's reliability and validity and to investigate associations of fear of physical activity with demographic, medical, and psychosocial patient characteristics. Secondly, the study aims at assessing everyday physical activity using accelerometric measures to test the hypothesis that fear of physical activity in patients with heart failure is related with lower actual physical activity.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinical diagnosis of heart failure stage B or C (Hunt et al., 2005), or: New York Heart Failure classification II to IIIb:

  1. Systolic dysfunction: left ventricular ejection fraction < 45% in the last 6 month
  2. Diastolic dysfunction: left ventricular ejection fraction >= 45% in the last 6 month

Exclusion Criteria:

• complex ventricular arrhythmias
• acute myocarditis
• symptomatic cardiac valve stenosis
• instable angina pectoris
• other severe diseases, that impair physical activity (e.g., advanced stages of cancer)
• insufficient language skills in German to answer the questionnaires
• insufficient cognitive skills to answer the questionnaires

The study population will consist of adult patients with diagnosed chronic heart failure of all underlying diagnoses. Patients have to be outpatients at time of study participation. They will be recruted in primary care clinics, and heart failure outpatient clinics in Germany.