Abstract
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after stroke tends to vary across studies or across stages of stroke. It is useful to use the health utility score to compare HRQoL across studies. Physical activity after stroke also tends to vary similarly. The purpose of the present study was to determine associations between the health utility score and physical activity outcomes in stroke survivors. This cross-sectional study recruited stroke survivors who could ambulate outside, free of assistance. We assessed the health utility score with the EuroQoL 5-Dimension 3-Level questionnaire. The physical activity outcomes were the number of steps taken and duration of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as measured with an accelerometer. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine whether the physical activity outcomes were independently associated with the health utility score. Fifty patients (age: 68.0 years; 40 men, 10 women) were included. Multiple linear regression analysis showed the health utility score to be significantly associated with the number of steps taken (β = 0.304, p = 0.035) but not with MVPA. This is the first study to examine the association between the health utility score and objectively measured physical activity in stroke survivors. Promoting physical activity especially by increasing the number of steps taken might be a priority goal in improving a patient’s health utility score after stroke.
Highlights
Stroke has a direct impact on overall health
Several studies reported that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is altered in stroke survivors
Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine whether the physical activity outcomes were independently associated with the health utility score
Summary
Stroke has a direct impact on overall health. The interval between the onset of symptoms and arrival at the hospital can greatly influence the effectiveness of treatment and patient prognosis [1,2]. Stroke survivors are affected by long-term physical and psychosocial well-being [3]. Several studies reported that health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is altered in stroke survivors. Most stroke survivors have a lower HRQoL than healthy subjects [4,5,6], even when adjusting for confounding factors [6].
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