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Background: Life-space mobility is defined as the size of the area in which a person moves about within a specified period of time. Our study aimed to characterize life-space mobility, identify factors associated with its course, and detect typical trajectories in the first year after ischemic stroke., Methods: MOBITEC-Stroke (ISRCTN85999967; 13/08/2020) was a cohort study with assessments performed 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after stroke onset. We applied linear mixed effects models (LMMs) with life-space mobility (Life-Space Assessment; LSA) as outcome and time point, sex, age, pre-stroke mobility limitation, stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS), modified Rankin Scale, comorbidities, neighborhood characteristics, availability of a car, Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and lower extremity physical function (log-transformed timed up-and-go; TUG) as independent variables. We elucidated typical trajectories of LSA by latent class growth analysis (LCGA) and performed univariate tests for differences between classes., Results: In 59 participants (mean age 71.6, SD 10.0 years; 33.9% women), mean LSA at 3 months was 69.3 (SD 27.3). LMMs revealed evidence (p ≤ 0.05) that pre-stroke mobility limitation, NIHSS, comorbidities, and FES-I were independently associated with the course of LSA; there was no evidence for a significant effect of time point. LCGA revealed three classes: "low stable", "average stable", and "high increasing". Classes differed with regard to LSA starting value, pre-stroke mobility limitation, FES-I, and log-transformed TUG time., Conclusion: Routinely assessing LSA starting value, pre-stroke mobility limitation, and FES-I may help clinicians identify patients at increased risk of failure to improve LSA., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Lower extremity physical function (LEPF) is a key component for mobility and is impacted in stroke-related disability. A reduction in LEPF can have a significant impact on an individual's Quality of Life (QoL). The aim of this study is to characterise the relationship between LEPF and QoL. Methods: The MOBITEC-Stroke Study is a longitudinal cohort-study including patients with their first occurrence of ischaemic stroke. Using a linear mixed-effects model, the relationship between LEPF (timed up-and-go performance (TUG); predictor) and QoL (Stroke Specific Quality of Life scale (SS-QoL); outcome) at 3 and 12 months post stroke was investigated and adjusted for sex, age, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale-International Version, FES-I), and stroke severity (National Institute of Stroke Severity scale, NIHSS), accounting for the repeated measurements. Results: Data of 51 patients (65 % males, 35% females) were analysed. The mean age was 71.1 (SD 10.4) years, median NIHSS score was 2.0. SS-QoL was 201.5 (SD 20.5) at 3 months and 204.2 (SD 17.4) at 12 months; the mean change was 2.7 (95% CI -2.4 to 7.7), p= 0.293. A positive association was found between baseline TUG performance (estimate log score -13.923; 95% CI -27.495 to -0.351; p=0.048) and change in SS-QoL score in multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion: Higher LEPF (i.e better TUG performance) at baseline, was associated with an improvement in QoL from 3- to 12-months post stroke. These results highlight the critical role of physical function, particularly baseline LEPF, in influencing the QoL of stroke survivors. Summary: Lower extremity physical function (LEPF), which is a measure of mobility, affects the quality of life in people who have had a stroke. Understanding this relationship can help improve stroke survivors' recovery and well-being. This study sought to understand the connection between mobility, specifically lower extremity physical function, and the quality of life in individuals after a stroke. The study's primary focus is to explore and characterize how LEPF relates to the quality of life in stroke patients over time, particularly between 3- and 12-months post-stroke. It was found that better physical function (measured by the timed up-and-go test) at the beginning of the study was linked to improved quality of life after 12 months. This suggests that early improvement in mobility, particularly lower extremity physical function can have a positive impact on the overall quality of life for stroke survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]