Make My Day - Prevention of stroke

Cardiovascular diseases including stroke is the most common cause of death worldwide; despite that most risk factors are modifiable. However, incorporating and sustaining healthy habits and activities in everyday life is a major challenge.

Participation in Engaging Everyday Activities (EEA) has the potential to contribute to a sustainable healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk for stroke. EEA are regular meaningful activities. Primary health care (PHC) has a mandate to work preventively, but there is an urgent need for systematic, person-centered and efficient stroke prevention strategies. The project is conducted in close collaboration with primary health care in the Stockholm Region.

The research project address a major public health challenge (risk for stroke and cardio-vascular diseases) and the complexity of incorporating healthy habits into everyday life with an intervention based on personal needs and engagement supported using an e-health innovation (a mobile phone app). Modifiable risk factors (e.g. physcial inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits) for stroke is addressed through participation in EEA, activities that contribute to health.

We have an ongoing pilot study with the purpose to test effects and feasibility of prevention program to minimize the risk for stroke and participation in health promoting EEAs. Recently we were granted funding from FORTE to continue to test the effect and feasibility of the program in a full scale RCT in collaboration with primary health care basing the intervention on a co-design approach.

The project group is inter-professional and led by Ann-Helen Patomella and Eric Asaba with the current co-workers Susanne Guidetti, Emelie Mälstam, Cecilia Johnsson, Elin Jakobsson, Elisabet Åkesson, Gunnar Nilsson, Maria Hagströmer, Christina Olsson, Anna Johansson and Lisette Farias.

Publications

Mälstam, E., Asaba, E., Åkesson, E., Guidetti, S., & Patomella, A. H. (2021). ‘Weaving lifestyle habits’: Complex pathways to health for persons at risk for stroke. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1-13.
Patomella, A.-H.; Farias, L.; Eriksson, C.; Guidetti, S.; Asaba, E. (2021) Engagement in Everyday Activities for Prevention of Stroke: Feasibility of an mHealth-Supported Program for People with TIA. Healthcare, 9, 968.
Asaba, E., Bergström, A., Patomella, A. H, & Guidetti, S. (2020). Engaging occupations among persons at risk for stroke: a health paradox. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1-10.
Patomella A-H, Mickols G, Asaba A, Nilsson G, Fridén, A Kottorp, Bertilson, BC, Tham K. (2018) General practitioners’ reasoning on risk screening and primary prevention of stroke – a focus group study. BMC family practice 19 (1), 190.
Patomella A-H, Guidetti S, Mälstam E, Eriksson C, Bergström A, Åkesson E, Kottorp A, Asaba E. (2019). Primary prevention of stroke: engaging everyday activities promoting health – a randomised controlled pilot trial protocol.
Lawrence, M., Asaba, E., Duncan, E., Elf, M., Eriksson, G., Faulkner, J., Guidetti, S., Johansson, B., Kruuse, C., Lambrick, D., Longman, C., von Koch, L., Wang, X., & Lennon, O. (2019). Stroke secondary prevention, a non-surgical and non-pharmacological consensus definition: results of a Delphi study, BMC Research Notes, 12: 823.
Zonneveld, M., Patomella, A-H., Asaba, E., & Guidetti, S. (2019). The use of Information and Communication Technology in healthcare to improve participation in everyday life: A Scoping Review. Disability and Rehabilitation. 9, 1-8.
Asaba, E., Patomella, A-H., Guidetti, S., Kottorp, A., & Tham, K. (2018). Att främja hälsa och förebygga ohälsa genom engagerande aktiviteter: Ett exempel från prevention av stroke. In U. Kroksmark (Ed.): Hälsa och Aktivitet i Vardagen - ur ett arbetsterapeutiskt perspektiv. Sveriges Arbetsterapeuter.