Walking activity in community-dwelling stroke survivors within 1 month after discharge from a rehabilitation setting

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the pattern of activity accumulation in stroke survivors.

Method: Nineteen stroke patients and 19 age–sex-matched healthy adults participated. Step counts were measured using a step activity monitor for 3 d. The steps per day, bouts per day, walking time per day, average steps per bout, and average walking time per bout were calculated in each walking-distance category (short, medium, and long-distance bout) and in total.

Results: The total steps per day were 8446 and 11,749 steps in stroke survivors and control participants, respectively. The total steps per day and the total bouts per day for the stroke group were both significantly lower compared with the control group. Significant group differences were found in only the medium-distance range. No significant differences were found in average steps per bout.

Conclusion: Fewer number of bouts is a characteristic pattern of walking activity in stroke survivors. In particular, a low number of medium-distance bouts in stroke survivors results in a low number of daily steps when compared with healthy adults. To facilitate physical activity in stroke survivors, not only the total number of bouts per day but the number of bouts of varying lengths must be considered.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Fewer number of bouts is a characteristic pattern of walking activity in stroke survivors.

• Low number of bouts, especially medium-distance bouts, in stroke survivors, results in low number of daily steps when compared with healthy adults.

• The number of long-distance bouts is important for increasing total daily steps after stroke with mild disability.

• To facilitate physical activity in stroke survivors, not only the total number of bouts per day but the number of bouts of varying lengths must be considered.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical activity
• stroke
• secondary prevention
• community-dwelling
• exercise

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the participants and staff for their participation and support. Also, we would like to thank Y. Miyazaki and Y. Kanai for their invaluable advice.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant no. 17K13065).