Halifax researchers will try and determine whether an intensive 12-week education and exercise program can reduce the stroke risk for people who have already suffered mild strokes.
Four hundred and sixty-four patients from Nova Scotia will be randomly assigned to either a community-based program of exercise and education or to clinic visits for health assessment, counselling and education.
The research team will then measure blood pressure, cholesterol levels, physical activity rates and whether patients smoke during the process. They will also use questionnaires to determine quality of life and other lifestyle factors.
Dr. Marilyn MacKay-Lyons and Dr. Gord Gubitz, respectively of Dalhousie University and the QEII Health Sciences Centre , are leading the research group.
The project is funded in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and will receive $600,000 over three years for this and other research initiatives.
