The level of physical activity among ambulant stroke survivors at one year: a cross sectional study in a tertiary center in Malaysia

Background & Objective: Despite the importance of physical activity, there is lack of evidence measuring the level of activity performed by the stroke survivors. This study aims to determine the level of physical activity amongst ambulant stroke patients in a tertiary centre in Malaysia and to investigate the factors that may impact their physical activity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on ambulant stroke participants at one year post stroke. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to measure the level of physical activity, and 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was recorded to assess the participants functional walking distance and endurance. The participants were categorised into low, moderate, or high physical activity levels. Age-matched healthy controls were recruited form community. Factors including presence of depression were tested in relation to physical activity. P-value of <0.05 was considered statically significant in all statistical analyses. Results: There were 45 stroke patients and 30 controls recruited in this study. Participants in the stroke group has significantly lower level of physical activity compared to the control group, especially in the high physical activity level (p<0.001); 55.6% reported having moderate, 31.1% low and 13.3% high physical activity level respectively. No significant factors were found to be associated with the physical activity. Only depression was found to have a weak negative correlation with level of physical activity (p=0.003). Conclusion: Stroke survivors have lower level of physical activity at one year post stroke despite having mild physical impairments. Rehabilitation strategies to promote physical activities should be implemented early to take advantage on the benefits of cardiovascular fitness as secondary prevention of stroke.