Mobile health delivered physical activity after mild stroke or transient ischemic attack: Is it feasible and acceptable?

Abstract

Background and aims: Physical activity is a key component of secondary stroke prevention. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions show promise for enhancing post-stroke physical activity, but most studies have combined mHealth with onsite services. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a fully digitalized mHealth intervention for physical activity among individuals post-stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in Sweden.

Methods: In this two-arm feasibility randomized controlled trial, adults with stroke or TIA were randomized to one of the following 6-month interventions: (1) the experiment group, receiving mHealth-delivered supervised exercise (two sessions weekly during months 1 to 3, one session weekly during months 4 to 6) and behavioral change techniques for physical activity (including two individual counseling and six follow-up sessions) or (2) the control group, receiving two mHealth-delivered individual counseling and three follow-up sessions. Feasibility (reach, retention, adherence, fidelity, safety) and acceptability were assessed according to pre-specified progression criteria.

Results: Of 114 participants, 105 (92%) completed the 6-month intervention and 102 (89%) completed the 12-month follow-up assessment. The intervention reached individuals from 20 of 21 Swedish regions. Sixty-eight percent of participants had a stroke (of which 96% were mild), 64% were female, and the average age was 71 years (standard deviation = 9). Ninety-five percent were born in Sweden, had a high level of education (61%), and an average daily step count of 6451 steps. Completion of outcome measures included digital questionnaires (98%), sensor-derived physical activity (92%), and blood pressure monitoring (97%). A total of 1781 supervised exercise sessions were delivered to the experiment group, with an adherence rate of 76%, and adherence to individual counseling and follow-up sessions was 96%. Ninety-five adverse events were recorded, of which 16 were related to the intervention (predominantly pain or muscle soreness) but non-serious. Overall satisfaction with the mobile app was 71%, and 76% of the experiment group believed the app could partly replicate in-person visits.

Conclusion: The mHealth intervention was overall feasible and acceptable; however, there is a need to develop recruitment procedures to increase diversity of included participants regarding socioeconomic status and physical activity level, prior to a phase 3 trial.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05111951).