Background: Survivors of stroke have an elevated risk of recurrent stroke. Prompt intervention to support healthy lifestyle modification following an initial stroke is crucial for effective secondary prevention of stroke. However, many patients do not receive adequate post-discharge support for secondary prevention, particularly if not referred to inpatient rehabilitation. Living Well After Stroke (Living Well After Stroke) has been developed by National Stroke Foundation, in collaboration with experts from CSIRO and Griffith University, to address this service gap.
Aims: Living Well After Stroke is a health promotion programme based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), which aims to support this underserviced group to improve and self-manage secondary prevention behavioural performance (eg. diet, exercise, medication-adherence) by equipping participants with a toolkit of theory-and evidence-based behaviour change strategies and techniques that are transferable to different behavioural contexts.
Methods: Participants will be Australian adults with stroke not referred to inpatient rehabilitation. Adopting a prospective single-arm trial design, the intervention comprises five behaviour change sessions based on the HAPA framework over 8-weeks, delivered via telehealth. Measures of primary (behaviour) and secondary outcomes (intention, outcome expectancy, risk perception, self-efficacy, planning, action control, subjective well-being) will be taken at baseline, 4-weeks, 8-weeks and 16-weeks.
Results: The intervention is expected to lead to improved performance of secondary prevention behaviour, and transference of behaviour change skills to a new behaviour, at 16-weeks. For this presentation, the authors will share on their observations, insights and experiences developing Living Well After Stroke, and its implementation to-date.
Conclusion: Living Well After Stroke, which has a strong theoretical basis and uses an innovative approach of imparting behaviour change skills to support long-term self-management of secondary prevention behaviours, has significant potential to improve secondary prevention of stroke and transform models of care for people who have had a stroke in Australia.