A Comparison of Leisure Activities in Patients before and After a Stroke

This study analyzes the characteristics of leisure activities of stroke patients according to gender, and comparatively assesses their activity levels before and after the onset of the disease. Leisure activity-related data were collected from 125 stroke patients using the Korean-Activity Card Sort and analyzed according to gender. An independent t-test and paired t-test were conducted to compare the retained level of leisure activity (RLA) after stroke according to the patients’ general characteristics. Most of the leisure activities men and women continued with after stroke were passive ones that did not require exercise or rely on cognitive abilities. The RLA after stroke in both men and women demonstrated a statistically significant difference as their roles changed in accordance with age. Healthcare practitioners should analyze the leisure activities of stroke patients and provide interventions to help them retain the current level of leisure activity or engage in new leisure activities.