Effect of a home leisure education program after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a leisure education program on participation in and satisfaction with leisure activities (leisure-related outcomes), and well-being, depressive symptoms, and quality of life (primary outcomes) after stroke.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Home and community.

Participants: Sixty-two people with stroke.

Intervention: Experimental participants (n=33) received the leisure education program at home once a week for 8 to 12 weeks. Control participants (n=29) were visited at home at a similar frequency. Participants were evaluated before and after the program by a blinded assessor.

Main outcome measures: Change from preintervention to postintervention in: minutes of leisure activity per day, number of leisure activities, the Leisure Satisfaction Scale, the Individualized Leisure Profile, the General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS), the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Stroke-Adapted Sickness Impact Profile (SA-SIP30).

Results: There was a statistically significant difference in change scores between the groups for satisfaction with leisure with a mean difference of 11.9 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.2-19.5) and participation in active leisure with a mean difference of 14.0 minutes (95% CI, 3.2-24.9). There was also a statistically significant difference between groups for improvement in depressive symptoms with a mean difference of -7.2 (95% CI, -12.5 to -1.9). Differences between groups were not statistically significant on the SA-SIP30 (0.2; 95% CI, -1.3 to 1.8) and GWBS (2.2; 95% CI, -5.6 to 10.0).

Conclusions: The results indicate the effectiveness of the leisure education program for improving participation in leisure activities, improving satisfaction with leisure and reducing depression in people with stroke.