Research

The Activating Behavior for Lasting Engagement (ABLE) intervention uses an adapted form of behavioral activation to support stroke survivors in doing more daily activities that require standing or light-intensity walking during times when they might usually sit. This project involves three components:

1. Formative phase: We adapted the ABLE protocol so that it can be delivered remotely using videoconferencing. Read more about the study design and what we learned in the study record at ClinicalTrials.gov.
2. Pilot randomized controlled trial: We are testing the feasibility of the adapted ABLE protocol, teleABLE. Within this trial, we are also exploring the possible effects of teleABLE on sedentary time, activity engagement, and health-related quality of life. Read more about the study design, the status of this work, and how to get involved in the study record at ClinicalTrials.gov.
3. teleABLE Caregivers: Although it is well established that caregiving affects psychosocial health, there is limited data about how stroke affects daily life activities and physical activity levels. Caregivers of participants in the pilot randomized controlled trial are invited to provide data at one timepoint to help us learn more about how stroke impacts caregivers' daily lives.

This research is funded by a grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (K23HL159240).

Many post-stroke physical activity interventions that we find in the literature require more time and resources than those available in clinical settings. Further, it is possible that lower-intensity physical activity interventions may be effective for some individuals. The Physical Activity Chats after Stroke (PA-ChatS) intervention is a low-intensity, theory-driven intervention that we designed to require time and resources aligned with current clinical practice. We have two ongoing studies related to this intervention:

1. Hospital-to-home transition: We are currently testing the feasibility of delivering the PA-ChatS intervention within the first 3 months of discharging from the inpatient rehabilitation setting. Read more about the study design in the study record at ClinicalTrials.gov. This study is funded by a grant from the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute, (UMN CTSI is funded by a grant from the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science of the National Institutes of Health, grant UM1TR004405).
2. Chronic stroke: We recently received funding to test the feasibility of delivering the PA-ChatS intervention among people with chronic stroke (>6 months post-stroke). We will pool data from this study and those who enrolled during the hospital-to-home transition to identify characteristics of stroke survivors who may be ready to begin a low-intensity physical activity intervention earlier and later during their stroke recovery. Check back for a link to the ClinicalTrials.gov study record! This study is funded by the University of Minnesota's Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship program.

Commercially available physical activity trackers are widely available, yet their implementation within the stroke recovery process is inconsistent. We are conducting a series of qualitative focus groups with stroke survivors, caregivers, and rehabilitation practitioners (occupational and physical therapists/therapy assistants) to understand experiences using these trackers during stroke rehabilitation and to identify strategies to improve their use after stroke.

This study is funded by the University of Minnesota Foundation.

• Implementation strategies that sustain community-based stroke support programs (Amos Badu, PhD in Kinesiology student)
• Interventions and programs to improve social participation among children with perinatal stroke (Emily Shalit, PhD in Rehabilitation Science student)
• Psychosocial factors that affect participation and physical activity levels after stroke (Ruqayyah Oladepo, MS in Kinesiology student)
• Stroke caregivers' activity engagement and relationship quality (Jada Sandvall, Undergraduate Honors Program) 

The American Heart Association published stroke-specific physical activity recommendations that highlight the importance of early mobilization, aerobic exercise, muscle strength and endurance exercise, stretching, neuromuscular exercise (to improve balance, coordination), and reducing sedentary time. We surveyed over 750 occupational therapy and physical therapy practitioners who serve stroke survivors in the United States to understand their knowledge about these guidelines, to explore how frequently they implement these guidelines with their stroke patients, and to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing these guidelines in practice. Check back soon to learn about our results!

This study was funded by the University of Minnesota Foundation.

Stroke impacts the daily routines of individual stroke survivors and their caregivers, often resulting in restricted activity engagement and reduced levels of physical activity. The duoABLE intervention uses behavioral activation, social interdependence, and communal coping theories to improve activity engagement and physical activity levels among both members of the stroke survivor-caregiver dyad. We piloted the duoABLE intervention among N=8 stroke survivor-caregiver dyads to explore the feasibility, safety, and acceptability of this approach. Learn more about the study design in the study record at ClinicalTrials.gov. Check back soon to learn about our results!

This study was funded by a grant from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.

• A qualitative study exploring the application of the Sport Commitment Model to understand return to recreational sports after stroke (Brooklyn Moldan, Summa Cum Laude, 2025)
• A qualitative study of physical therapy practitioners' perspectives on implementing the American Heart Association's stroke-specific physical activity guidelines (Amos Badu, MS in Kinesiology, 2025)
• Secondary analysis of a national survey study exploring the association between practitioner knowledge and self-reported implementation of stroke-specific physical activity guidelines (Joy Erlandson, BS, Summa Cum Laude, 2024)
• A feasibility study of a wearable technology system in middle school physical education classes at a low-income school (Suryeon Ryu, PhD in Kinesiology, 2024)