Background: 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.
Objectives: We examine the relationships between CF, PA, and functional outcomes in one-year poststroke in Benin, a lower middle-income country.
Methods: 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.
Results: 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.
Conclusion: 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.
Keywords: Activity limitations; cardiorespiratory fitness; physical activity; stroke.