Scientific Reports (Dec 2023)

Pre-stroke physical activity is associated with post-stroke physical activity and sedentary behavior in the acute phase

  • Hiroki Tanaka,
  • Gakuto Kitamura,
  • Mayu Tamura,
  • Manabu Nankaku,
  • Masashi Taniguchi,
  • Takayuki Kikuchi,
  • Takakuni Maki,
  • Ryosuke Ikeguchi,
  • Susumu Miyamoto,
  • Ryosuke Takahashi,
  • Shuichi Matsuda,
  • Noriaki Ichihashi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48232-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Abstract This study investigated the link between pre-stroke and acute-stage physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior. Forty individuals with stroke (aged 73.6 ± 8.9 years) were enrolled. Post-stroke activity, including metabolic equivalents (METs), sedentary behavior, light PA, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), was measured using a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT) over 11 consecutive days starting from the 4th day post-stroke. Pre-stroke PA levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). We measured skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) and phase angle using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer (Inbody S10) upon admission. Physical therapists assessed the Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS) within 3 days post-stroke. Total daily activity averaged 1.05 ± 0.05 METs. Throughout the day, 91.2 ± 5.1, 7.6 ± 4.1, and 1.2 ± 1.3% was spent in sedentary behavior, light PA, and MVPA, respectively. Only pre-stroke PA was independently associated with METs (β = 0.66), sedentary behavior (β = −0.58), light PA (β = 0.50), and MVPA (β = 0.71) after adjusting for age, sex, stroke severity, and activities of daily living. This suggests that pre-stroke PA might play a crucial role in reducing sedentary behavior and promoting PA during the acute phase.