Lydia Makrides

Exercise capacity early after stroke

MacKay-Lyons MJ, Makrides L. Exercise capacity early after stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1697-702. Objective: To evaluate exercise capacity of patients with a poststroke interval of less than 1 month. Design: Prospective, cohort, observational study. Setting: Exercise testing laboratory in a tertiary care hospital. Participants: Twenty-nine patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 64.9±13.5y) with a poststroke interval of 26.0±8.8 days. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: Peak exercise capacity (VO2peak) was measured by open-circuit spirometry during maximal effort treadmill walking with 15% body-weight support. Results: Mean VO2peak was 14.4±5.1mL · kg−1 · min−1 or 60%±16% of age- and sex-related normative values for sedentary healthy adults. Conclusions: Exercise capacity approximately 1 month after stroke was compromised. Further research is needed to elucidate the physiologic basis of this low capacity.

ArticlesExercise capacity early after stroke☆1☆2☆3☆4☆5☆6☆7☆8☆9☆10

MacKay-Lyons MJ, Makrides L. Exercise capacity early after stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:1697-702. Objective: To evaluate exercise capacity of patients with a poststroke interval of less than 1 month. Design: Prospective, cohort, observational study. Setting: Exercise testing laboratory in a tertiary care hospital. Participants: Twenty-nine patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 64.9±13.5y) with a poststroke interval of 26.0±8.8 days. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: Peak exercise capacity (VO2peak) was measured by open-circuit spirometry during maximal effort treadmill walking with 15% body-weight support. Results: Mean VO2peak was 14.4±5.1mL · kg−1 · min−1 or 60%±16% of age- and sex-related normative values for sedentary healthy adults. Conclusions: Exercise capacity approximately 1 month after stroke was compromised. Further research is needed to elucidate the physiologic basis of this low capacity.

The Healthy LifeWorks Project: a pilot study of the economic analysis of a comprehensive workplace wellness program in a Canadian government department.

Objective: To examine the relationship between health risks and absenteeism and drug costs vis-a-vis comprehensive workplace wellness. Methods: Eleven health risks, and change in drug claims, short-term and general illness calculated across four risk change groups. Wellness score examined using Wilcoxon test and regression model for cost change. Results: The results showed 31% at risk; 9 of 11 risks associated with higher drug costs. Employees moving from low to high risk showed highest relative increase (81%) in drug costs; moving from high to low had lowest (24%). Low-high had highest increase in absenteeism costs (160%). With each risk increase, absenteeism costs increased by

The Healthy LifeWorks project: The effect of a comprehensive workplace wellness program on the prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders in a Canadian government department.

CDN248 per year (P < 0.05) with average decrease of 0.07 risk factors and savings

Building community partnerships for diabetes primary prevention: lessons learned

CDN6979 per year. Conclusions: Both high-risk reduction and low-risk maintenance are important to contain drug costs. Only low-risk maintenance also avoids absenteeism costs associated with high risks.

The Healthy Lifeworks Project: the role of organisational health in the personal health of employees

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a comprehensive workplace wellness program on the prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders in a Canadian government department. Methods: The Healthy LifeWorks program was developed, implemented, and evaluated over a 4-year period. A total of 233 employees completed the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire before and after the program to determine the prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders. Results: There was an approximately 10% decrease in the 12-month prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, ranging from 4% for hip/thigh problems to 12% for lower and upper back problems. The proportion of people reporting that a musculoskeletal disorder interfered with their normal work during the past 12 months decreased from 83% to 46%. Conclusions: Comprehensive wellness, including educational sessions on posture, ergonomics, and joint health, results in improved musculoskeletal health.

A conceptual model for a culturally responsive community‐based diabetes prevention programme

Purpose – To describe the process of building partnerships between a health professional group (university‐based researchers and organizations from within and outside the health sector) and the black communities, highlight the accomplishments and identify problems in the process.Design/methodology/approach – The description of the process of building partnerships with four black communities in Nova Scotia is organized in the following sections: the impetus for launching a Diabetes Primary Prevention for the Black Communities Project, its preparation, implementation, and evaluation. The accomplishments and the problems associated with the Project are analysed.Findings – Recruitment of participants for the focus groups was challenging. Response rate to survey questionnaire was moderate. Presentation of the Project results by one of the black Project assistants to the participant communities was well received. The Project was quite successful in encouraging community involvement by engaging community groups ...

Cardiovascular stress during a contemporary stroke rehabilitation program: Is the intensity adequate to induce a training effect?

Purpose – This paper aims to present the results of a three‐year comprehensive workplace initiative which provided an unprecedented opportunity to explore the potential relationship between organisational health, stress, and health outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 325 employees participating in a comprehensive workplace wellness intervention taking place in a large governmental organisation. Organisational health was measured using a 16‐item measure of organisational health indicators and a four‐item measure of health culture. Personal health outcomes were assessed using 12 indicators: personal wellness profile, health age, blood pressure, nutrition, fat intake, fibre intake, alcohol use, fitness, smoking status, cancer risk, stress, and good health practices.Findings – Analyses indicated that after controlling for gender and age, organisational health was associated with increased personal wellness, lower health age, better overall nutrition, reduced fat intake, increased f...

Myocardial infarction: survivors' and spouses' stress, coping, and support

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has emerged as a major public health problem in Canada. Although the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes among black people is higher than that of white people in Canada, there is no diabetes prevention programme specifically designed to address the behavioural and sociocultural influences on the development of the disease in the black communities. This paper discusses a proposed conceptual framework for the development and evaluation of a diabetes prevention programme that is culturally relevant and responsive to the black communities in Canada. The research literature and results of a recent pilot study that assessed the programming needs of four black communities provide the basis upon which the proposed framework is developed.