Exploring the physical, psychological, and social benefits of adaptive outdoor cycling in persons with stroke using a mixed methods approach.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability world-wide. Community-based adaptive recreation programs may offer a way to enhance quality of life in persons with stroke.

Objective: Explore the association between community-based adaptive outdoor cycling program participation and physical, psychological, and social outcomes in persons with stroke using both quantitative and qualitative data collection.

Methods: Mixed methods design, using prospective longitudinal quantitative data collection during a 16-week adaptive outdoor cycling program (Part 1) and a semi-structured interview/focus group (Part 2). Part 1 included baseline, 8- and 16-weeks assessments of physical, psychological, and social outcomes. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine within-group changes and effect sizes were calculated. Part 2's transcriptions were coded for physical, psychological, and social outcomes.

Results: 30 individuals post-stroke (ages 25-72) were enrolled in Part 1 of the study. ANOVA results showed statistically significant changes in all three areas: physical (resting heart rate, 10-m walk test), psychological (well-being), and social (satisfaction with social roles) outcomes, all with large effect sizes. All other outcomes showed changes in the expected direction but did not reach statistical significance. Findings from qualitative analyses explained and expanded upon quantitative findings.

Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of exploring the influence of adaptive recreation on not only physical but psychological and social outcomes. Due to the exploratory design of this pilot, future research is warranted.