Measurement of adherence to home-based exercises among community-dwelling stroke survivors in India

Objectives: To develop an adherence questionnaire specific to stroke and measure the level of adherence to home-based exercises among community-dwelling stroke survivors. Methods: We developed and validated the "Stroke-Specific Measure of Adherence to Home-based Exercises" (SS-MAHE). We measured the exercise adherence among 92 community-dwelling stroke survivors in a cross-sectional study. Results: The SS-MAHE has two sections covering (a) the dosage of prescribed exercises and (b) dosage of actual exercises done by the participants. It was found to be reliable with ICC score of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.44, 0.94, p =.001.) Adherence was measured by comparing prescribed exercises to the actual exercises performed at home. We rated participants as "adherent" if they were following more than 70% of the prescribed exercise dosage. In our sample of 92 stroke survivors, only 28% of participants were adherent to prescribed home-based exercises. Conclusion: SS-MAHE is a practical and reliable tool to measure adherence to home-based exercises after a stroke. Exercise adherence among stroke survivors is less than ideal. There is a need for strategies to specifically target exercise adherence in stroke survivors.