Effects of a stroke primary prevention program on risk factors for at-home elderly

Abstract

Background: To prevent stroke from occurring, stroke risk factors in at-risk subjects should be controlled and the diseases causing stroke should be managed. This study evaluated a nursing intervention to prevent stroke in at-risk elderly living at home. The program consisted of stroke and nutrition education as well as exercise guidance. Material/Methods: This study targeted 93 elderly people living at home residing in E province with 1 or more stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, smoking, or drinking alcohol. The 12-week program included a stroke education class once a week, a nutrition management class once a week, and exercise guidance 3 times a week. Each session lasted 50–70 min. Each disease education and nutrition management session lasted for 20 min and each exercise session lasted for 30–50 min. Results: The experimental group’s body mass index (BMI) (t=8.27, p