ExStroke Pilot Trial of the effect of repeated instructions to improve physical activity after XXXX : a multinational randomised controlled clinical trial.

@entity1 @entity583 @entity64 @entity174
OBJECTIVES: To investigate if repeated verbal instructions about physical activity to @entity1 with @entity64 could increase long term physical activity. DESIGN: Multicentre, multinational, randomised clinical trial with masked outcome assessment. SETTING: @entity64 units in Denmark, China, Poland, and Estonia. @entity1 : 314 @entity1 with @entity64 aged >or=40 years who were able to walk-157 (mean age 69.7 years) randomised to the intervention, 157 (mean age 69.4 years) in the control group. INTERVENTIONS: @entity1 randomised to the intervention were instructed in a detailed training programme before discharge and at five follow-up visits during 24 months. Control @entity1 had follow-up visits with the same frequency but without instructions in physical activity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical activity assessed with the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) at each visit. Secondary outcomes were clinical events. RESULTS: The estimated mean PASE scores were 69.1 in the intervention group and 64.0 in the control group (difference 5.0 (95% confidence interval -5.8 to 15.9), P=0.36. The intervention had no significant effect on mortality, recurrent @entity64 , @entity583 , or falls and @entity174 . CONCLUSION: Repeated encouragement and verbal instruction in being physically active did not lead to a significant increase in physical activity measured by the PASE score. More intensive strategies seem to be needed to promote physical activity after @entity64 . TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials NCT00132483.
