Pre-stroke Fulfilment of WHO Recommendations for Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Study

Physical inactivity is a major stroke risk factor. In 2016, over one-third of adults in high-income countries did not fulfil the World Health Organization recommendations for physical activity. Evidence on pre-stroke physical activity is limited and inconsistent.

We sought to assess pre-stroke physical activity in patients with stroke and its associations with medical conditions and sociodemographic variables.

This project was a cross-sectional study of patients hospitalised with stroke. Pre-stroke physical activity was assessed using the Physical Activity Scale-2, to identify whether the World Health Organization recommendations were fulfilled. Patients were stratified into the following: none, 1 to 149 minutes, or ≥150 minutes of moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. Crude and age-adjusted logistic regressions were performed to identify associations.

Among 122 patients (mean age 71 years (standard deviation = 11.8), 40% women, 70% with a mild stroke), 55% did not fulfil the World Health Organization recommendations. Nonfulfilment was associated with age >75 years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15-0.89), smoking (OR = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.08-0.77), and use of mobility aid (OR = 0.18; 95% CI, 0.05-0.68). Thirty-four per cent reported no moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity.

Fifty-five per cent of the patients did not fulfil the World Health Organization recommendations before stroke, and one-third did not engage in moderate- or vigorous-intensity activity. Fulfilling the recommendations was linked to older age, smoking, and use of mobility aids.