Mood and Balance are Associated with Free-Living Physical Activity of People after Stroke Residing in the community

Purpose. To determine which characteristics are most associated with free-living physical activity in community-dwelling ambulatory people after stroke. Method. Factors (age, gender, side of stroke, time since stroke, BMI, and spouse), sensory-motor impairments (weakness, contracture, spasticity, coordination, proprioception, and balance), and non-sensory-motor impairments (cognition, language, perception, mood, and confidence) were collected on 42 people with chronic stroke. Free-living physical activity was measured using an activity monitor and reported as time on feet and activity counts. Results. Univariate analysis showed that balance and mood were correlated with time on feet (r=0.42, 0.43, P<0.01) and also with activity counts (r=0.52, 0.54, P<0.01). Stepwise multiple regression showed that mood and balance accounted for 25% of the variance in time on feet and 40% of the variance in activity counts. Conclusions. Mood and balance are associated with free-living physical activity in ambulatory people after stroke residing in the community