Aerobic Fitness of Elderly Community and Non-Community Individuals After Chronic Stroke

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke commonly causes low aerobic fitness and walking speed. Objective: To compare the estimated aerobic fitness of the community and non-community elderly individuals after chronic stroke. Investigate the association between walking speed and aerobic fitness. Methods: Elderly people after stroke classified as community walkers or limited community walkers, according to their walking speed (10-m walk test), in m/s, were assessed with The Human Activity Profile (HAP). The Lifestyle Energy Consumption (LEC) score of the HAP was used to estimate aerobic fitness through the peak oxygen uptake (V̇o2peak). Results: Aerobic fitness of elderly individuals after stroke classified as community walkers was on average 17.3 (6.0) mL kg−1 min−1, while for non-community walkers, it was on average 10.2 (5.6) mL kg−1 min−1. There was a significant difference between groups (−7.05, 95% CI −10.98 to −3.12; P < .001). A statistically significant (P < .001) association with moderate magnitude (r = 0.587) was observed between the LEC and the habitual walking speed. Conclusions: Individuals with lower walking speed have lower aerobic fitness.