An Age-Stratified Cross-Sectional Study of Physical Activity and Exercise Adherence of Stroke Survivors in Rural Regions

Objective: To describe the Physical Activity and Exercise (PAE) adherence of stroke survivors in rural regions, additionally, to analyze the influential factors through age stratification. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Totally, 596 stroke patients (65.70 +/- 10.76 years) from three rural regions were selected, PAE scale was used for measuring compliance. The influential factors among different age groups were explored separately. This study adheres to the EQUATOR checklist, SROBE. Results: Only 17.8% (106) of participants regularly participated in PAE. Altogether, 42.45% were classified as a young-middle age group, and the rest 57.55% were in the old age group. Positive attitudes and better PAE-relevant knowledge were protective factors for adherence in the young and middle-aged group (OR=0.683; 95% CI 0.173 similar to 0.588 and OR=0.939; 95% CI 0.013 similar to 0.114), as well as in the old group (OR=0.704; 95% CI 0.193 similar to 0.534 and OR=0.929; 95% CI 0.035 similar to 0.118); having no home rehabilitation equipment was a strong risk factor for younger patients (OR=16.078; 95% CI 1.235 similar to 4.320); however, without hemiplegia can positively affect their adherence (OR=0.891; 95% CI 0.045 similar to 0.229). In addition, the presence of a spouse can lead to a better compliance among old patients (OR=0.436; 95% CI -0.496 similar to-0.165). Conclusion: It is necessary to improve the knowledge of physical activity in rural stroke patients of all ages. It is of great significance to install home rehabilitation equipment to promote exercise for young and middle-aged stroke patients. While for the old stroke patients, we strongly suggest focusing on the role of spouses, which would be more useful in low-income regions.