The project led by Rosa M. Cabanas focuses on integrating routines of intense yet brief physical activity, such as getting up and sitting in a chair, climbing stairs or walking fast, into the daily lives of patients who have suffered a stroke. As the researcher explains, “The idea came about two years ago when I read a study that showed that intense three-minute activities, performed four times a day, significantly reduced the risk of diseases such as stroke, cancer and even death. I immediately thought about my patients and how I could adapt this methodology to promote a healthy lifestyle.”
The research team is also made up of researchers and teachers from the Department of Physiotherapy Aïda Cadellans, Márcio Donadio, David Blanco, Fernanda Salazar and Franco Appiani, in collaboration with other healthcare professionals from hospitals in Catalonia such as the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa, the Parc Taulí in Sabadell or the Hospital Sagrat Cor in Martorell and the Hospital CIMA in Barcelona. Together they have designed an approach that includes personalised assessments and the use of technology such as accelerometers to monitor physical activity. For three months, patients will receive direct support from physiotherapists at home, ensuring routines are performed correctly and adjusting the workload to their physical condition.
Cabanas highlighted the significance of the Caser Foundation’s financial support for the success of the project. “It is very important that entities committed to research and promoting health can rely on proposals that mix education towards physical activity and a change of lifestyle. This type of aid is less common in studies like ours, since projects related to drugs or marketable devices are often prioritised.”
After receiving the award from the Caser Foundation’s Social Health Research Grants Programme, Cabanas and her team stated that “this recognition reinforces our commitment to research aimed at empowering patients, making them an active part of their treatment”.
This new achievement reaffirms the position of UIC Barcelona’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences as a benchmark in clinical research and health promotion.
