File
U.M. Bello1,2, M. Chutiyami3,4, D. Salihu5,4, S.I. Abdu6, B.A. Tafida7, A.A. Jabbo8, A. Gamawa7, L. Umar9, A. Lawan10, T. Miller1, S.J. Winser1
1The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong, China, 2Yobe State University Teaching Hospital, Physiotherapy Department, Damaturu, Nigeria, 3Macquarie University, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sydney, Australia, 4Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery Damaturu, Department of Nursing, Damaturu, Nigeria, 5The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Nursing, Hong Kong, China, 6Kazaure General Hospital, Physiotherapy Department, Kazaure, Nigeria, 7Bauchi State Specialist Hospital, Physiotherapy Department, Bauchi, Nigeria, 8University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Department of Physiotherapy, Maiduguri, Nigeria, 9Federal Medical Centre, Azare, Physiotherapy Department, Azare, Nigeria, 10University of Maiduguri, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Maiduguri, Nigeria
Background: Functional impairments and socioeconomic constraints associated with stroke affect quality of life (QoL). With limited care and social support resources, there is a greater anticipated decline in QoL among stroke survivors in Africa.
Purpose: (1) To examine post-stroke QoL throughout the African continent
(2) review the properties of outcome measures adopted in examining QoL and
(3) to examine clinical and anthropometric QoL predictors.
(2) review the properties of outcome measures adopted in examining QoL and
(3) to examine clinical and anthropometric QoL predictors.
Methods: African Journal Online, CINAHL, PsychINFO, PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to February 2020. Methodological quality was assessed using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (ARHQ) methodology checklist for observational studies.
Results: Twenty-eight studies recruiting 2572 (76.4%) stroke survivors and 795 (23.6%) healthy volunteers were included. Studies were conducted in eight African countries between 2007 and 2019. Methodological quality of studies was good. Overall, stroke survivors reported low QoL. Six studies comparing QoL between stroke survivors and healthy controls were pooled for meta-analysis. Results showed a biased-adjusted standardised mean difference (Hedges’s g) of 1.13 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.56; p<0.000), indicating better QoL among healthy controls. Only 4 (14.3%) studies used translated or cross-culturally adapted QoL assessment tools. The most commonly reported predictor of QoL was post-stroke disability (35.8% of studies), which is followed by depression (28.6%) and stroke severity (28.6%).
Conclusion(s): Overall, African stroke survivors reported comparatively lower QoL in comparison to their age-matched controls.
Implications: This highlights the need for cross-culturally validated assessment tools and more robust post-stroke QoL evaluation across the African continent. To improve QoL of stroke survivors in Africa, early interventions should focus on reducing disability and depression associated with stroke.
Funding, acknowledgements: None
Keywords: Stroke survivors, Quality of life, Africa
Topic: Neurology
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: N/A
Committee: N/A
Reason: Systematic review
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
