Relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity practices, and functional outcomes one-year...

Currently, little is known on the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), physical activity (PA), and functional outcomes after stroke, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

We examine the relationships between CF, PA, and functional outcomes in one-year poststroke in Benin, a lower middle-income country.

A case-control study was carried out in northern Benin. Twenty-one participants with chronic strokes were matched to 42 controls according to sex and age. PA patterns and associated energy expenditure (EE) were assessed with a BodyMedia's senseWear armband. CF was evaluated with the Physical Working Capacity at 75% of the predicted maximal heart rate index. The functional outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin scale (mRS) and the ACTIVLIM-Stroke scale.

Both people with stroke and the healthy pairs spent much time in sedentary behavior (median [P25; P75]: 672 [460; 793] min vs 515 [287; 666] min, p = 0.006). Although people with chronic stroke performed fewer steps compared to healthy controls (median: 2767 vs 5524, p = 0.005), results showed that total EE was not statistically significant in either group (median: 7166 Kcal vs 8245 Kcal, p = 0.07). In addition, the mRS score (r = 0.47, p = 0.033) and the ACTIVLIM-Stroke measure (r = 0.52, p = 0.016) were moderately associated with the CF index of people with chronic stroke.

The study showed clear trends for lower levels of PA in both people with chronic stroke and health controls. A correlation exists between CF, disability, and functional outcomes among stroke patients.