An exercise- and education-based secondary prevention program after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

30% of stroke survivors will have another stroke. To prevent this, we can try to change several factors. These factors include high blood pressure (the most important factor), high blood sugar and fat levels, poor diet and mood, and smoking. Exercise can lower blood pressure, blood sugar and fat levels and improve one’s mood. Lifestyle-management education can improve one’s diet and mood and help stop smoking. However, we do not know if exercise and education programs can lower blood pressure and prevent another stroke in stroke survivors after rehabilitation. This study will test if an exercise and education program will lower blood pressure in stroke survivors compared to education alone. Stroke survivors recently finishing rehabilitation will be assigned by chance to one of two groups. The first group will complete an 8-week exercise and education program. The second group will only complete the education program. We anticipate that stroke survivors will have lower blood pressure after completing the exercise and education program compared to education alone. This will be one of the first studies in British Columbia to test if formal exercise and education programs after rehabilitation will help prevent another stroke.