FREQUENCY RATE OF OBESITY AND LOW MOBILITY IN NORTH AMERICAN AND IRANIAN STROKE PATIENTS

Introduction: obesity and low mobility are among the risk factors of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. a pilot double-center study evaluated frequency rate of obesity and low mobility in patients with ischemic stroke.methods: this prospective clinical study was conducted on 100 consecutive stroke patients in mackenzie hospital, canada and 100 consecutive stroke patients in ghaem hospital, iran in 2007. the patients were age- and sex- matched. diagnosis of ischemic stroke was made by stroke neurologists. obesity and low mobility was detected based on the standard method in the two studied groups. chi-square and fisher tests served for statistical analysis and p < 0.05 was declared as significant.results: 92 males and 108 females with ischemic stroke were investigated. obesity was present in 26% of the canadians and 21% of iranian stroke patients, df =1, p = 0.403. low mobility was reported in 29% of canadian and 5% of iranian stroke patients, df = 1, p < 0.0001.the frequency rate of obesity was not significantly different in the two groups and in each gender separately (p > 0.05), while the difference was significant for low mobility, p < 0.05.conclusions: there is no significant difference in frequency rate of obesity between canadian and iranian stroke patients. however, low mobility is significantly more frequent in the old canadian individuals with stroke.