Tailored Lifestyle may Offer Better Well-Being post Stroke

Well-being of stroke survivors may be improved by an online program as per a study at the University of Newcastle and Flinders University, published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Stroke survivors are found to have serious physical and cognitive disabilities. However, the new study states that improving the lifestyle and health risk behaviors (tobacco and alcohol use, physical activity, diet, depression, and anxiety) may enhance the quality of life among stroke survivors.

‘Interactive, and tailored healthy lifestyle programs and behavior change techniques are found to have a positive effect on self-reported health and well-being among stroke survivors according to a new study.’

Effects of Online Health Programs

Hence, the online program Prevent 2nd Stroke" (P2S) was evaluated for its efficacy through a randomized control trial of 399 adult stroke survivors.

It was found that participants who had received P2S access, had a higher health-related quality of life (HRQOL) score when compared to those who received the generic health information.

"This paper is the culmination of 8 years of research, starting with a small grant from the National Stroke Foundation that funded the development of the online program which was co-developed with consumers and key stakeholders." "The next step for Prevent Second Stroke is to scale up its implementation to ensure it reaches and benefits the highest number of people who have experienced a stroke, including those with greater stroke-related disability," says senior author Professor Billie Bonevski from Flinders University.

Source: Medindia