A transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a major warning sign for stroke. There is a 15 per cent risk of stroke ≤ 90 days following initial event and the risk of cardiovascular events remains high 10-15 years post-TIA. It is best practice for TIA patients to receive secondary medical care to determine TIA cause and to commence preventative pharmacological therapy early post-event.
Behaviour change programs which include education and group exercise (ie. advice and support to address modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors including hypertension, inactivity, poor diet etc) significantly reduce the odds of further cardiovascular events. These programs significantly increase the time TIA patients spend in moderately vigorous physical activity (ie. brisk walking) (5). The latter extremely important as increasing physical activity independently contributes to significant reductions in cardiovascular risk, with an inverse relationship between time spent in moderately vigorous physical activity and risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality.
This project aims to :
1. Develop and implement a new service- a behaviour change program for people who have had a recent TIA (Study 1: Implementation Study)
2. Increase the minutes/week people who have had a recent TIA spend in moderately vigorous physical activity (Study 2: Outcomes Study).