Long-Term Predictors of Social and Leisure Activity 10 Years after Stroke

Abstract

BackgroundRestrictions in social and leisure activity can have negative consequences for the health and well-being of stroke survivors. To support the growing number of people who are ageing with stroke, knowledge is needed about factors that influence such activity in a long-term perspective.AimTo identify long-term predictors of the frequency of social and leisure activities 10 years after stroke.Method145 stroke survivors in Sweden were followed-up at16 months and 10 years after a first-ever stroke. Data representing body functions, activities & participation, environmental factors and personal factors at 16 months after stroke, were used in multiple linear regression analyses to identify predictors of the activity frequency after 10 years, as assessed by the ‘Community, social and civic life’ sub-domain of the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI-CSC).ResultsAt the 10-year follow-up the frequency of social and leisure activities varied considerably among the participants, with FAI-CSC scores spanning the entire score range 0–9 (mean/median 4.9/5.0). Several factors at 16 months post stroke were independently related to the long-term activity frequency. The final regression model included four significant explanatory variables. Driving a car (B = 0.999), ability to walk a few hundred meters (B = 1.698) and extent of social network (B = 1.235) had a positive effect on activity frequency, whereas an age ≥ 75 years had a negative effect (B = -1.657). This model explained 36.9% of the variance in the FAI-CSC (p<0.001).ConclusionStroke survivors who drive a car, have the ability to walk a few hundred meters and have a wide social network at 16 months after a first-ever stroke are more likely to have a high frequency of social and leisure activities after 10 years, indicating that supporting outdoor mobility and social anchorage of stroke survivors during rehabilitation is important to counteract long-term inactivity.

Factors related to met needs for rehabilitation 6 years after stroke

“…Almost half of the participants reported unmet needs in relation to fatigue and mobility. These results are in line with previous studies showing that fatigue and mobility problems are common long after the stroke occurred and impact negatively on many aspects of functioning, in particular participation in everyday life [41][42][43][44]. Since rehabilitation targeting mobility can yield beneficial effects [45] even in the chronic phase after stroke [46], our results indicate that there is a need for recurrent long-term rehabilitation.…”

Different predictors after stroke depending on functional dependency at discharge: a 5-year follow up study

“…Participants had an overall good outcome in all of the SIS domains in the present study, regardless of functional dependency, and lowest scores were present in the emotion domain. Perceived emotion has been shown to be associated with perceived participation (33), and in the present study selfperceived participation was lower in participants that were functionally dependent, also seen previously (13,39,40). It could be hypothesised that increased level of participation after stroke also could improve self-perceived outcome.…”

Upper-limb sensory impairments after stroke: Self-reported experiences of daily life and rehabilitation

“…Moreover, many participants in our study perceived problems when bicycling, gardening, participating in sports, or driving a car. It has been shown that driving is a significant factor in the frequency of social and leisure activities after stroke (28) and that involvement in leisure activities is related to how content persons are with their lives (29). Not being able to continue meaningful leisure activities because of sensory impairment of the UL could have a negative impact on a person's well-being and should be considered in rehabilitation.…”