Stroke School -Including Physical Exercise, Patient Education and Individual Follow-up Sessions

Hypertension and physical inactivity are the most common risk factors for stroke. Patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) have short-lasting symptoms, often with remission within hours or days. Though patients experience a quick remission, they have an increased risk of a recurrent stroke and progressive cognitive dysfunction. The patients are also likely to have other disposing risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia which may increase the risk of a recurrent stroke. Following hospital discharge, the patients are offered preventive medication, but no standardized rehabilitation or exercise. Previous studies have shown that physical exercise decreases cardiovascular risk factors for patients after stroke and increases physical function and quality of life.

The aim is to develop and evaluate a standardized exercise program (a stroke school) for patients with minor stroke or TIA. The intervention consist of 6 weeks of supervised aerobic exercise at the hospital combined with patient education including knowledge on stroke risk factors. Subsequently, 6 weeks of supervised aerobic exercise in their local municipality. After the 12 weeks of exercise, patients are offered individual, motivational follow-up sessions with the purpose to facilitate the patients to stay physically active in their everyday life.

This intervention will increase the patients´ knowledge regarding risk factors for stroke and cardiovascular disease, increase their cardiorespiratory fitness and facilitate the patients to be physical active and hopefully slow the progression of vascular disease.

• Change in Physical Activity Scale [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in Physical Activity Scale from baseline to 12-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline to 12-months post-stroke]
• Change in maximum cardiopulmonary exercise test from baseline to 3 months post-stroke [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in The WHO-5 Well-being index from baseline to to 3 months post-stroke [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in The WHO-5 Well-being index from baseline to 12-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline to 12-months post-stroke]
• Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment from baseline to 3 months post-stroke [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment from baseline to 12-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline to 12-months post-stroke]
• Change in Anxiety and depression from baseline to 3 months post-stroke [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in Anxiety and depression from baseline 12-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline 12-months post-stroke]
• Change in Fatigue Severity Scale from baseline to 3 months post-stroke [Срок оценки: from baseline to 3 months (post-intervention)]
• Change in Fatigue Severity Scale from baseline to 12-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline to 12-months post-stroke]
• Change in The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory from baseline to 3-months post-stroke [Срок оценки: From baseline to 12-months post-stroke]