In Nigeria, with a population of 200 million, stroke affects over 200,000 people a year. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the country and continues to have a very high mortality rate. Most deaths attributed to stroke occur within the first week of stroke occurrence. However, the burden of stroke does not lie in the high mortality figures, but in the high morbidity as up to 50% of stroke survivors are chronically disabled.

Access to affordable preventative services and rehabilitation after stroke is limited in Nigeria. This is due to barriers that include poor understanding among decision-makers about the need for quality stroke prevention, access to rehabilitation services by stroke survivors, the need for health insurance, and cultural beliefs. Stroke affects mostly adults of working age in their most economically active lifespan. As a result, they become unemployed and live in poverty.

Stroke rehabilitation services are vital in supporting stroke survivors to make the best recovery possible and to reintegrate into communities.

Goals

This project aims to conduct a research study to improve support for stroke survivors.

Activities

• Recruitment of stroke survivors,
• Assessment, goal and activity planning,
• Data collection from stoke survivors pre-and post-intervention,
• Analysis of the data,
• Publication of the findings.

The study will leverage the experience gained from running the LASC and local study staff will be supported by a national and international team with extensive clinical trial experience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Myriad Canada is working with Stroke Action Nigeria Ltd on this project, an organization providing health education and raising awareness on strokes and its consequences as well as contributing to the development and management of stroke services in Nigeria.

The Life After Stroke Centre (LASC) in Onitsha provides community-based rehabilitation, secondary prevention, psychosocial, and return to work support to stroke survivors. The program is tailored for each stroke survivor, and includes assessments, goal setting, stroke education, secondary prevention, self-management strategies, group and individual functional rehabilitation and exercise training aimed at changing health behaviors and enabling stroke survivors to cope with life after a stroke.