# High Intensity Interval Training POst-STroke (HIIT-POST): Perspectives of People Living With Stroke and Health Professionals

PMID: 39932216
Journal: Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
Published: 2025-02-11
Authors: Ashcroft SK, Johnson L, Kuys SS, Thompson-Butel AG

## 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.

## Population

- Australian people with stroke and health professionals working in stroke rehabilitation.
- Sample size: 63
- Age: Stroke respondents ranged 18-79+ years; health professional ages not summarized
- Sex: Stroke questionnaire respondents 57.7% female; health professional sex not central in extracted text
- Fitness level: Mixed; many stroke respondents had prior HIIT or exercise interest
- Health status: Stroke survivors and stroke rehabilitation professionals

## Methodology

- Exploratory cross-sectional mixed-methods questionnaire and interview study
- Questionnaires collected March 28 to September 14, 2023
- Online REDCap questionnaires and Zoom interviews in Australia

## Protocol

- HIIT concept description.
- Modality: Not a delivered intervention.
- Work intervals: Brief higher-effort bouts.
- Recovery: Lighter-effort bouts.
- Intensity: Relative higher effort.
- Session duration: A few minutes up to about 30 minutes in the description.
- Program length: Cross-sectional survey/interview.

## Outcomes

### Interest
Status: improved
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
Status: mixed
Knowledge gaps, low aerobic-exercise priority, terminology concerns, fatigue, motivation, and uncertainty about personalization limited uptake.

Descriptive questionnaire and Framework Analysis themes.

### Facilitators
Status: improved
Education, qualified supervision, medical screening, personalization, and referral to appropriate professionals were consistent facilitators.

Descriptive questionnaire and interview themes.

## Practical 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 And Adherence

- No exercise intervention was delivered.
- Participants emphasized screening, medical clearance, and supervision for post-stroke HIIT.

## Original Sources

- [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39932216/) (pubmed)
- [DOI](https://doi.org/10.1177/15459683251317185) (doi)
- [PMC full text](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12065947/) (full text)

## Agent Guidance

Preserve the paper-level scope of this note. Do not generalize beyond the population, protocol, measured outcomes, and limitations above.