Brazilian Adaptation of an Intervention Developed in Ireland to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Post-stroke: a Feasibility Study

Summary

Introduction: Low- and middle-income countries, such as Brazil, are most impacted by the high burden of recurrent stroke. These countries also lack structured interventions to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors in the context of stroke secondary prevention. In contrast, high-income countries, such as Ireland, which invest more in research, have more advanced studies on this topic. However, before implementing interventions developed in countries like Ireland in middle-income countries like Brazil, it is necessary to adapt them to account for cultural and socioeconomic differences. Furthermore, once the adaptation is made, it is essential to investigate the feasibility of implementing the intervention in the new context.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of implementing the Brazilian adaptation of the Irish intervention "iHELP Stroke: Improving Health and Lifestyle Programme", which aims to promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors post-stroke.

Methodology: This is a phase 1 interventional feasibility study, using a pre- and post-intervention design, to be conducted with ten individuals post-stroke, residing in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The intervention will consist of eight sessions: one educational session, one individual session, and six group sessions, held weekly. The outcomes of interest will include feasibility (recruitment, intervention, and measurement) and clinical outcomes (achievement of the main goal defined by the participants and the number/proportion of participants who meet this goal). Descriptive statistics will be used for analysis.

Conclusions: The results of this feasibility study will provide valuable insights for designing subsequent phases of a clinical trial.

Conditions

• Stroke

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

A Brazilian adaptation of the Irish intervention "iHELP Stroke"

The intervention comprises a set of interactive experiential learning activities. A physiotherapist will serve as the coordinator, and other healthcare professionals will be invited to participate as guest speakers. The educational session aims to provide knowledge about stroke (what stroke and recurrent stroke are, their signs and symptoms, and lifestyle-related risk factors). The individual session aims: (1) to identify the current self-reported health status after stroke; (2) to recognize and raise awareness of risk factors associated with lifestyle-related behaviors, including the setting of behavior change goals, which are structured using the SMART Goals method; and (3) to identify the individual's preferences and ability to participate in the intervention program. Each group session comprises six components covered across the six sessions: education, goal setting, physical activity participation, emotional self-regulation, skill training, and peer learning.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Coordenaçao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Worldwide Universities Network

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Pró-reitoria de Pesquisa da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Federal University of Minas Gerais

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-05-01

Primary Completion

2025-08-31

Completion

2025-10-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations