• May 1, 2009 Ruth Lilly Auditorium, Riley Hospital

Stroke is one of the leading causes of disability. Physical impairments are often one of the results of having a stroke and mobility aids are commonly issued to assist in decreasing this impairment. There are several factors that may influence one's performance post-stroke.

Objective: To examine the relationship between existing identified factors related to stroke including the use of mobility aids, fear of falling, and community mobility in community dwelling individuals post-stroke.

Design, Setting, and Patients: This is a secondary data analysis, utilizing a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional design consisting of individuals three months post-stroke. Patients were recruited from a university-based urban hospital. Twenty participants remained in the study at three months post-stroke.

Main Outcome Measures: Barriers to Activity and Participation (BAP) survey to address fear of falling and mobility aid use, modified Falls Efficacy Scale (mFES) to address functional abilities of common activities and measure fear of falling, and a community mobility questionnaire to determine primary mode of transportation and self-perceived abilities of community mobility components.

Results: More than half of the participants (55%) reported use of a mobility aid (i.e. wheelchair, walker, quad cane, cane, and/or hemi-walker). There is no significant association between fear of falling and community mobility, as measured by the BAP (p = 0.65) or the mFES (0.345). Activities found to have a significant relationship with fear of falling included returning to church (p =0.021) and visiting with friends and neighbors (p = 0.032). There is also a significant relationship (p = 0.051) between worrying about leaving the house due to falls (obtained from the BAP) and fear of falling as measured by the mFES. There was no significant association between community mobility and mobility aid use (X2=1.0), presence of fear of falling and mobility aid use as measured by the BAP (p=0.655), and the mFES (p=0.401), nor the presence of fear of falling and number of mobility aids used (p=0.219).

Conclusions: This descriptive study is significant in showing a comparable measure of fear of falling between the BAP and the mFES. Mobility aids did not show to have a significant effect on fear of falling or community mobility. Those who demonstrate fear of falling are less likely to be a driver as opposed to using alternate methods of community mobility. Overall, this study supports the need for further study in the areas of: fear falling, community mobility, and the use of mobility aids.