ABSTRACT

Background: Following a stroke, cognitive ability, and cardiovascular fitness decline, exerting a substantial influence on physical rehabilitation and overall quality of life. Stroke management encompasses a multidisciplinary approach, with emerging studies highlighting the role of exercise in enhancing cognitive ability and cardiovascular fitness post-stroke. This study aims to analyze the effects of exercise on cognitive ability, cardiovascular fitness, and quality of life in stroke survivors, shedding light on potential therapeutic benefits.

Subject and methods: The PICO Model eligibility criteria were employed to execute the article search including P=post-stroke patients; I=exercises C=standard care, O=cognitive ability OR cardiovascular fitness OR quality of life. The articles extraction was from 2 databases, namely: PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The key searching words used include "exercises" AND "cognitive ability" OR "cardiovascular fitness" OR "quality of life" AND "post-stroke patients". The inclusion criteria in this study included full-text articles with RCT study design, with post-stroke patients as research subjects, and improvement in cognitive ability OR cardiovascular fitness OR quality of life as a research outcome. The PRISMA diagram and the Review Manager 5.4.1 tool were adopted in analyzing the articles.

Results: 25 studies were included in the review with 2,110 participants from Asia (14); Australia (1), Europe (6); North America (2), and South America (2) eligible for meta-analysis. The result indicated a positive effect of exercise on cognitive ability (SMD=0.68, CI 95% (0.21 to 1.16); p=0.005); cardiovascular fitness (SMD=0.63, CI 95% (0.17 to 1.08); p=0.007) and Quality of Life (SMD=0.60, CI 95% (-0.08 to 1.27); p=0.080).

Conclusion: Engagement in diverse forms and durations of exercise emerges as a crucial element in post-stroke rehabilitation. This intervention signifies a promising avenue toward enhancing cognitive abilities, and cardiovascular fitness, and potentially elevating quality of life among stroke survivors.

Keywords: Stroke, Exercise, Cognitive ability, Cardiovascular fitness, quality of life

Correspondence: Maingu BS. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl Ir. sutami 36A Jebres, Surakarta, Central Java 57126, Indonesia. Email: maingubertha@gmail.com. Mobile: +6282110885171/+255738924725.