An investigation of factors influencing physical activity levels in people living in the community after stroke

[Truncated] Aims: The main aims of this research were to explore the barriers to undertaking physical activity that are reported by a group of people living in the south of England who have had a stroke, and to understand the relationship between commonly reported barriers and self-reported physical activity levels.

Design: A mixed-method study incorporating a) a survey questionnaire (N=76) and b) three focus groups (N=12) to explore the levels of self-reported physical activity and beliefs and barriers to undertaking physical activity reported by the study cohort. The Theory of Planned Behaviour was used as a framework for development of the questionnaire, which was based on existing questionnaires identified in the literature exploring the barriers to exercise after stroke. A series of focus groups were held to complement the data obtained through the questionnaires. Focus group data were coded using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Methods: A variety of methods were used to identify potential volunteers to complete questionnaires and convenience sampling was used to select focus group volunteers. From the questionnaires, quantitative responses such as reported duration, frequency and intensity of current physical activity participation and the type and frequency of reported barriers were tabulated, and are reported as percentages. Quantitative data were analysed using the statistical software SPSS version 19. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (Spearman's Rho) and Chi-squared tests were used to explore associations between self-reported physical activity level and the following variables: age, gender, functional mobility, fear of falling, beliefs regarding physical activity, available supports and socioeconomic status. Qualitative data were extracted from the questionnaires regarding beliefs relating to physical activity and the type and frequency of reported barriers; these were used to inform subsequent focus group discussion topics. Audio recordings of focus groups were transcribed verbatim and the transcripts read in their entirety by the principal researcher and the co-ordinating supervisor. Qualitative analysis was performed by coding the interview transcripts to the Theoretical Domains Framework.