Self-management to promote physical activity after discharge from in-patient stroke rehabilitation: a feasibility study

ABSTRACT

Objectives

To investigate the feasibility of a self-management program aimed at increasing physical activity in community-dwelling ambulators after stroke in a middle-income country with high income inequality.

Methods

A Phase 1, pre-post intervention study was conducted with 20 sub-acute stroke participants. The self-management program was delivered in six home-based sessions over 3 months. Feasibility of recruitment, intervention, and measurement was determined. Physical activity, cardiovascular risk, depression, walking speed, self-efficacy for exercise, participation, and quality of life were measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

Results

16% of eligible participants were recruited. 90% completed the program and were measured at 3 months, and 65% at 6 months. The most common reasons for withdrawal were return to work, lack of interest/motivation and surgery. 92% of the sessions were delivered for 59 (SD 23) minutes per session. Participants did not increase physical activity at 3 months (MD 364 steps/day, 95% CI −282 to 1010) or 6 months (MD 312 steps/day, 95% CI −881 to 1504). Post-hoc analysis showed that sedentary participants increased their step count at 3 months by 1,300 (95% CI 152 to 2447) and at 6 months by 1,701 (95% CI −556 to 3959) more steps than non-sedentary participants.

Conclusions

A Phase 2 study of the self-management program appears to be feasible in a middle-income country with high income inequality and has the potential to increase physical activity levels in sedentary individuals with mild disability after stroke.

Trial registration

RBR-6bdmsk

KEYWORDS:

• Stroke
• physical therapy
• exercise
• feasibility study
• Phase I
• self-management

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the following Brazilian National Funding Agencies: CAPES (Code 001), CNPq (grant #445047/2014-3), and FAPEMIG (grant #01426-14) Financial support for this research was provided by the Brazilian Government Funding Agencies (CAPES–code 001, CNPq and FAPEMIG)