The effects of a recurrent stroke prevention program on blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood glucose among patients with first ischemic stroke

Abstract

This cluster randomized control trial research with control group and repeated measure. The objectives of this study were to explore the effect of a recurrent stroke prevention program on blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood glucose among patients with first ischemic stroke. The participants were the patients who have been diagnosed with first ischemic stroke. They were recruited from two stroke units from two tertiary hospitals in public health region 2, Thailand. Sixty participants were randomly recruited and divided into experimental group (n=30) and control group (n=30). The participants in the experimental group received the recurrent stroke prevention program including 1) providing knowledge about eating healthy diet, limiting salt intake, increasing physical activities, quit smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke, and taking medication regularly, 2) performing continuous exercise for 12 weeks including fast walking for 40 minutes/ 3 times a week and doing resistance exercise for 20 minutes/ 3 times a week, and 3) ensuring adherence to behavior changes using telephone follow-up for 20 minutes for each participant at week 8 and 12. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measure MANOVA.

Major findings revealed that the combined mean scores of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood glucose of experimental group after receiving the recurrent stroke prevention program were significantly different from the control group at .05 level in four different points of time. In addition, the mean scores of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and blood glucose of experimental groups were statistically decreased over time at .01 level in week 4, week 8, and week 12.