High Intensity Interval Training POst-STroke (HIIT-POST): Perspectives of People Living With Stroke and Health Professionals
Question
What are the perceived barriers and facilitators to HIIT participation and prescription after stroke?
Summary
Australian people living with stroke and stroke rehabilitation professionals were generally interested in HIIT, but HIIT was not viewed as routine care. The main barriers were limited knowledge, safety concerns, wording around 'high intensity', and clinician uncertainty about prescription; facilitators included education, screening, personalization, and supervision.
Methodology
- Australian people with stroke and health professionals working in stroke rehabilitation.
- 63 participants.
- Not a delivered intervention.
- Work intervals: Brief higher-effort bouts.
- Recovery: Lighter-effort bouts.
- Intensity: Relative higher effort.
- A few minutes up to about 30 minutes in the description.
- Cross-sectional survey/interview.
- Exploratory cross-sectional mixed-methods questionnaire and interview study
- Barriers, Facilitators, and Safety perceptions were tracked.
Outcomes
Interest
Most stroke respondents were interested in HIIT, and many professionals reported prescribing or recommending it.
19/26 stroke respondents interested; 27/37 professionals reported recommending or prescribing HIIT.
Barriers
Knowledge gaps, low aerobic-exercise priority, terminology concerns, fatigue, motivation, and uncertainty about personalization limited uptake.
Descriptive questionnaire and Framework Analysis themes.
Facilitators
Education, qualified supervision, medical screening, personalization, and referral to appropriate professionals were consistent facilitators.
Descriptive questionnaire and interview themes.
Insights
- For stroke users, safety education and referral may be prerequisite content.
- Terminology should emphasize personalized interval effort rather than only high intensity.
- Clinician-facing content should include prescription parameters and screening criteria.
Limitations
- Small convenience sample.
- Online recruitment may have biased participation.
- Most health professionals were allied health/exercise professionals.
- Many participants had high exercise interest or independent mobility.
- No exercise outcomes were measured.
Safety
- No exercise intervention was delivered.
- Participants emphasized screening, medical clearance, and supervision for post-stroke HIIT.