| dc.description.abstract | Background: Emerging evidence demonstrates the health-enhancing effects of physical activity (PA). Physical activity guidelines (PAGs) around the world recommend the accumulation of at least 150 minutes of moderate PA per week. Adherence to these recommendations is of particular interest for people after stroke, both in terms of rehabilitation and secondary prevention.
Objectives: The primary aim was to describe the PA pattern in terms of a quantification of bout length, intensity, and frequency in a population-based sample of Norwegian stroke survivors three months after stroke onset. The secondary aims were to 1) examine to which extent this population adhered to the Norwegian PAGs, and the World Health Organization PAGs, respectively, and 2) explore the associations between physical and cognitive function with PA behavior.
Methods: The present analyses were conducted as a cross-sectional study at national level in Norway. It is based on data from the prospective multicenter Norwegian Cognitive Impairments After Stroke (Nor-COAST) study. PA was assessed using accelerometers, following participants at least four consecutive days. The frequency of activity bouts, bout length of standing and walking, duration of accumulated time walking per week and the prevalent intensity spectrum were quantified as the dose parameters of interest and presented using descriptive statistics. Cognitive function and physical function were assessed using the Montreal cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), respectively. Both outcomes were examined on their associations with PA dose parameters using multiple regression analysis.
Results: The final study population comprised a total of 420 participants. It was demonstrated that one upright interval comprised a mean (SD) duration of 6.2 minutes (2.9). The mean (SD) per walking bout was 0.4 minutes (0.1). The estimate of accumulated time at moderate intensity per week was 262 minutes (142.5). The results demonstrate low levels of adherence to the Norwegian PAGs (3.1%), whilst the majority of stroke survivors met the PAGs by the World Health Organization (72.4%). A one-point improvement in SPPB total score was found to be associated with an increase of approximately 18 minutes of moderate PA, and an increase of 86 minutes of light PA (p<0.001).
Conclusions: PA after stroke was primarily found to be accumulated in short bouts lasting less than five minutes. This finding, along with the low proportion of adherence to the Norwegian PAGs suggests that the incorporation of short bouts of PA into clinical recommendations is more achievable for stroke survivors. | |