Maintenance of Improvements in Walking Activity in Individuals with Chronic Stroke: Follow-Up From the PROWALKS Randomized Controlled Trial.

This is a secondary analysis focused on maintenance, not the trial's original primary intervention effect. Attrition occurred during follow-up, and the supplied text does not state how many participants were analysed from post-intervention to 12 months. For the combined group, high-intensity walking training and step-monitoring coaching were delivered together, so the contribution of either component in that group cannot be separated. Many participants' follow-up overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic, so pandemic-related changes in activity cannot be ruled out. Participants had to walk without another person's assistance and have a self-selected walking speed of at least 0.3 m/s, so results may not apply to slower walkers or people who need physical assistance. The analysis did not find predictors of follow-up steps/day, so it does not identify who is likely to maintain gains.

Do not read step-monitoring coaching, alone or combined with high-intensity walking training, as maintaining walking gains after the program ends. There was no significant group-by-time interaction, and steps/day decreased in all groups from post-intervention to 6 and 12 months.