Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
A Method for Quantifying Upper Limb Performance in Daily Life Using Accelerometers
Published on: April 21, 2017
Factors related to performance-based mobility and self-reported physical activity in individuals 1-3 years after
Birgit Vahlberg1, Tommy Cederholm, Birgitta Lindmark
1Department of Neuroscience, Physiotherapy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Background:
Low mobility and low level of physical activity is common after stroke. The objective of this study was to relate these outcomes to physical, psychological, and demographic determinants.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional cohort study, a consecutive sample of 195 community-living individuals, 65-85 years of age (74±5 years, 71% men) with a previous stroke was included. Exclusion criteria were severe aphasia and severe cognitive dysfunction. Mobility status was measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB, 0-12 points), and physical activity was measured using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE).
Results:
Mobility (SPPB, median 9 points) and level of physical activity were low (mean PASE 97±66 points), and walking speed was slow (1.10±.86 m/s), in relation to a healthy population-based sample. In multiple regression analyses, age (P=.001), physical activity (P<.001), fall-related self-efficacy (P=.001), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (P=.02) were associated with mobility (SPPB). Mobility (P<.001), HRQoL (P=.014), and fall-related self-efficacy (P=.031) were likewise associated with self-reported physical activity as the dependent variable. The regression models described 42% and 31% of the variance in mobility and physical activity, respectively.
Conclusions:
Individuals perceived disabilities that are partly potentially modifiable 1-3 years after stroke. Future poststroke rehabilitation studies need to evaluate if actions to improve fall-related self-efficacy and mobility could promote the physical activity level in this patient population.
