Enhancing Mobility and Psychosocial Function in Obese Veterans Following Stroke Via Weight Loss and ExeRcise (EMPOWER)
Medical University of South Carolina
Summary
The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults is \~40% and is projected to climb. It is well documented that obesity is associated with increased levels of disability as well as risk for numerous adverse health-related outcomes; including occurrence of stroke and all-cause mortality. Obesity is highly prevalent in stroke survivors (\~30-45% of stroke survivors have BMI\>30) and is associated with reductions in physical function and increased disability. Furthermore, neurological sequelae following stroke result in a myriad of residual impairments that contribute to significant reductions in physical activity, which further increase the risk for obesity. The alarmingly high (and increasing) rates of obesity amongst stroke survivors represents an area of critical clinical need and, despite an abundance of information regarding weight loss approaches in neurologically healthy individuals, there is a lack of information regarding the impact of intentional weight loss on overweight and obese survivors of stroke. Thus, the purpose of this study it investigate the effect of varying weight loss approaches on physical function and psychosocial outcomes in chronic stroke survivors.
Description
With a surviving cohort of nearly 7 million individuals, stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Of the \~795,000 new strokes occurring in the U.S. each year, approximately two-thirds of survivors will have some degree of long term disability, and less than half will progress to independent community ambulation. Even among those who do achieve independent ambulation, significant residual deficits persist, with more than 60% of persons post-stroke reporting limitations in mobility related to walking. Concurrently, obesity is highly prevalent in stroke survivors…