Purpose: The Falls After Stroke Trial (FAST) intervention involves habit-forming functional exercise and mobility practice which may increase physical activity. This substudy of FAST explores physical activity in community-dwelling people after stroke comparing the FAST intervention to usual care.
Methods: This study used a subset of 49 participants from a randomised trial. Outcome measures were taken at baseline, 6- and 12-months. The primary outcome was physical activity (step count, upright time and sedentary time, activPAL4™ micro).
Results: Thirty-nine participants (80%) had valid primary outcome data at 6 months and 36 participants (73%) at 12 months. Compared to baseline, the experimental group completed 485 (95% CI -434 to 1405) more steps/day than the control group at 6 months and 724 (95% CI -239 to 1667) more steps/day at 12 months; and spent 36 (95% CI -46 to 118) fewer min/day in sedentary behaviour than the control group at 6 months and 34 (95% CI -51 to 119) fewer min/day at 12 months, although the differences were not significant.
Conclusions: FAST may improve physical activity more than usual care at 6- and 12-months but results are inconclusive. Further research could be conducted to confirm any benefit in a larger sample.
Keywords: LiFE; Stroke; exercise; physical activity; physical therapy; randomised controlled trial; rehabilitation.
Physical activity levels of older community-dwelling people after stroke in the chronic phase are low.Although there is uncertainty, a tailored, multicomponent intervention involving habit-forming functional exercise and mobility practice (FAST) may have a positive impact on physical activity in people after stroke.Rehabilitation clinicians could consider the use of FAST, and in particular habit-forming functional exercise, to support physical activity opportunities in community-dwelling people after stroke.