Face to face and telephone-based self-management programmes were identified as having promise to engage stroke survivors in PA behaviour change .
Background Increasing physical activity ( PA ) levels ( regular movement such as walking and activities of daily living ) and reducing time spent sedentary improves cardiovascular health and reduces morbidity and mortality .
Fewer than 30 % of independently mobile stroke survivors undertake recommended levels of PA .
Sedentary behaviour is also high in this population .
We aim ed to systematic ally review the study characteristics and the promise of interventions targeting free-living PA and /or sedentary behaviour in adult stroke survivors .
The effect of early aerobic training on independence six months post stroke
Objective : To investigate whether early aerobic training has a beneficial effect on stroke patients '  independence in daily and social activities six months after the event . Design : R and omized clinical trial . Setting : Rehabilitation unit . Subjects : Ninety-two patients after a first stroke . Interventions : Forty-six patients participated in an eight-week programme of aerobic training , using a leg cycle ergometer . Main outcome measures : Frenchay Activities Index ( FAI ) measured twice , at entry to programme ( pre-event score ) and six months after the onset of the event . Results : Despite the significant improvement of study group patients ' functional abilities immediately after the intervention compared with controls , no significant difference was found in FAI mean score between groups six months post event . An interaction effect was noted between event severity , intervention and FAI total score . Mean FAI score declined significantly less in the less severely impaired study group patients . Conclusions : Early , moderately intense aerobic training has no direct impact on independence in daily and social activities as measured by FAI total score six months after a stroke
Face to face and telephone-based self-management programmes were identified as having promise to engage stroke survivors in PA behaviour change .
Background Increasing physical activity ( PA ) levels ( regular movement such as walking and activities of daily living ) and reducing time spent sedentary improves cardiovascular health and reduces morbidity and mortality .
Fewer than 30 % of independently mobile stroke survivors undertake recommended levels of PA .
Sedentary behaviour is also high in this population .
We aim ed to systematic ally review the study characteristics and the promise of interventions targeting free-living PA and /or sedentary behaviour in adult stroke survivors .