Dorien Brouwer

114 Chapter 2.2 PART 2 Procedures At baseline, we recorded clinical features of the TIA or ischemic stroke, demographic data, quantification of stroke severity according to the National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS, a 15-item scale with scores that range from 0 to 42 and higher values indicating greater severity), [40] vascular history and risk factors (including use of alcohol) , body mass index, waist circumference and use of medication. Cholesterol levels, glucose levels and blood pressure were measured at baseline and 6 months thereafter. Follow up visits were scheduled at three months and 6 months after inclusion. The following questionnaires were completed during these visits: · Actual smoking status was assessed with questions on current smoking status, how many years a patient had smoked, and average number of cigarettes smoked per day. · Physical activity, measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short (IPAQ-S) questionnaire. Patients were asked to report activities performed for at least 10 minutes during the last 7 days, and time spent in physical activity performed across leisure time, work, domestic activities, and transport at each of 3 intensities: walking, moderate, and vigorous. [41] We used reported minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity to calculate a total physical activity score of minutes a day. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.79. · Dietary behavior, evaluated with the short Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). This 14-item scale is used to assess the intake of saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and fruits and vegetables over the week before the visit. An overall cardiovascular dietary score was calculated, ranging from -17 to +19, the higher the score, the more favorable the dietary pattern. [42] Cronbach’s alpha was 0.71. · Intention to change was assessed by means of a single item per behavior. [41] Patients were asked on a scale of 1 to 5, the likelihood that they would : · get 30 minutes of moderate to heavy daily physical activity in the next 3 months · decrease intake of unhealthy fats/ reduce their total energy intake in the next three months? · stop smoking within the next 3 months. Higher scores indicate higher intention to change.