P-36 Physical activity and its influencing factors in a population of ambulating chronic community-dwelling stroke survivors.
Author(s):
RV Ramdass , JR Toelsie , R. Bipat , DRR Lieuw , AV Jarbandhan
Year of Presentation:
2022
Objective: Little is known about physical activity (PA)
levels in stroke survivors from low- and middle-income
countries compared to high income countries. This study
aims to explore PA level, PA intensity and their influencing
factors in chronic community-dwelling stroke survivors in
Suriname, a middle-income country.
Design and Methods: Fifty participants were recruited from the database of the Rehabilitation Center Paramaribo and the local community. The Garmin forerunner 225 was used to measure PA level (step counts) and intensity (Energy Expenditure, EE). BMI was categorized as normal, overweight and obese. Ethnic background was categorized as Asian, African and other. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the association of PA intensity with sociodemographic and (non-)modifiable risk factors.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 58 ± 9.5 years and the majority were female (N = 26, 52%)), of Asian background (N = 28, 56%), had an ischemic stroke (N = 46, 92%), and had a good functional balance (N = 44, 88%). The median PA intensity was 24.2 cal/kg/day (min 15.9 – max 31.5) and the median PA level was 5016.2 (min 571.4 – max 16371.0) steps/day. We found an association between EE and ethnic background (U = 189, p = 0.018), BMI category (U = 174, p = 0.016), and the use of a walking aid (U = 235, p = 0.033).
Conclusion: The PA level and intensity in chronic stroke survivors are well below the recommended levels for cardiovascular health enhancement. More exploratory research is necessary to better understand the influence of sociodemographic and (non-) modifiable risk factors on PA in this population to develop tailored PA promotion and rehabilitation programs.