| Popis: |
Stroke, or cerebral vascular accident (CVA), is reported to be the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Impairments in balance and mobility are common after stroke and stroke survivors are estimated to suffer more than twice as many falls as age and gender-matched counterparts. In addition to falls, research has shown that balance and mobility impairments are associated with decreased self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as “an individual’s judgment of his or her ability to organize and execute given types of performances”. Impaired balance self-efficacy has been reported in community dwelling post-stroke patients and has been shown to be an independent predictor of satisfaction with community reintegration in older adults with chronic stroke. In order to prevent a perpetuating cycle of falls, decreased self-efficacy, avoidance behavior, deconditioning and functional decline, it is important for both therapists and researchers to understand how balance self-efficacy can be improved in the stroke population. There is currently little understanding of how to best improve balance self-efficacy in stroke patients; therefore, our objective is to determine the effect of various interventions on balance self-efficacy in the stroke population, and to determine which types of interventions are most effective. |
