Relationships Among Environmental Variables, Physical Capacity, Balance Self-Efficacy, and Real-World Walking Activity Post-Stroke. (August 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Miller, Allison; Pohlig, Ryan T.; Reisman, Darcy S.
• Is Part Of: Neurorehabilitation & neural repair. Volume 36:Number 8(2022)
• Page Start: 535
• Page End: 544
• Publication Date: 2022-08
• Subjects: rehabilitation -- physical activity -- theoretical model; Nervous system -- Diseases -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Spinal cord -- Wounds and injuries -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Nervous system -- Regeneration -- Periodicals; Neuroplasticity -- Periodicals; 616.804305
• DOI: 10.1177/15459683221115409
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1545-9683

Abstract

Background: Social and physical environmental factors affect real-world walking activity in individuals with stroke. However, environmental factors are often non-modifiable, presenting a challenge for clinicians working with individuals with stroke whose real-world walking is limited due to environmental barriers. Objective: The purpose of this work was to test a model hypothesizing the relationships among environmental factors (specifically, living situation and area deprivation), modifiable factors, and real-world walking activity to understand opportunities for intervention. We hypothesized that balance self-efficacy would mediate the relationship between the environment and real-world walking and that physical capacity would moderate this mediation. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 282 individuals with chronic (≥6 months) stroke. We tested the indirect effect to determine if mediation was present. Multiple group structural equation modeling was used to test if physical capacity moderated this mediation. A χ 2 difference test was used to compare the moderation model against the null (no moderation) model. Results: Balance self-efficacy mediated the relationship between area deprivation and real-world walking (indirect effect: β = −0.04, P = .04). Both the moderation and null models fit the data equally well statistically (χ 2 (5) = 6.9, P = .23). We therefore accepted the simpler (null) model and concluded that the mediation was not moderated. Conclusions: Targeting balance self-efficacy may be an effective approach to improving real-world walking in persons with stroke who experience barriers within the physical environment. A stroke survivor's physical capacity may not impact this approach. Future work should consider utilizing more specific measures of the social and physical environment to better understand their influences on real-world walking activity in individuals with stroke. However, the results of this work provide excellent targets for future longitudinal studies targeting real-world walking activity in stroke.