More exercise resources linked to greater physical activity 1 year after mild stroke

Key takeaways:

• Odds of more activity were 1.57 times higher in those who had more physical activity resources available.
• Researchers said it’s important to urge people to find ways to be active in their own neighborhood.

Adults with mild stroke had higher odds of maintaining similar levels of physical activity or being more active with greater resources available in their area, according to research presented at the International Stroke Conference.

“Exercise post-stroke can improve health-related quality of life and promote physical fitness, walking and balance,” said Jeffrey J. Wing, PhD, MPH, lead study author and assistant professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health at Ohio State University. “Physical activity is important in post-stroke rehabilitation and recovery through the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors and lowering the risk of recurrent stroke and mortality.”

Wing and colleagues sought to examine whether local exercise resources influence changes in physical activity 12 months after stroke incidence.

Their study culled data from the addresses of 546 survivors of mild stroke from the Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events (DESERVE) study. Participants whose data were analyzed were geocoded to the census tract level and merged with the density of physical activity resources from the National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA).

Researchers utilized multinomial logistic regression models to calculate odds of perceived change in physical activity at 12-months post-stroke (more active vs. about the same vs. less active) as well as the number of fitness and recreational sports centers per square mile. Models were adjusted for a range of socioeconomic factors, including age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, insurance, BMI and method of intervention.

Results showed that, among 333 participants who logged 12-month data, 17.2% reported more physical activity and 48% reported similar exertion. The adjusted odds of being more active compared with less active were 1.57 times larger when comparing the 90th percentile of physical activity resources with the 10th percentile (range: 58 resources; 95% CI: 0.99-2.48).

Data similarly showed adjusted odds of reporting the same level of physical activity compared with those less active were 1.47 times larger when the 90th and 10th percentiles of such resources were compared (95% CI: 0.99-2.17).

“It’s not that people should move to a location where there are more resources to engage in physical activity, but to urge people to find ways to be active in their own neighborhood,” study co-author Julie Strominger, MS, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at Ohio State University, said in a related release. “It’s the action that will lead to better outcomes, so just the action of being physically active is what really matters.”

Reference:

• More neighborhood fitness spaces linked to higher physical activity levels after stroke. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/more-neighborhood-fitness-spaces-linked-to-higher-physical-activity-levels-after-stroke?preview=a951&preview_mode=True. Published Feb. 1, 2024. Accessed Feb. 7, 2024.