OBJECTIVE: To describe the home barriers and social isolation of stroke survivors in the rural areas of China and to explore which home barriers are associated with social isolation.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Structured interviews and observation in the participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling stroke survivors in the rural areas of China (N=818). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physical barriers in rural homes were surveyed using a Home Fall Hazards Assessment. Social isolation was identified if two or more of the following indicators were observed: low frequency of getting out of the home, lacking leisure activities, and living alone in the previous three months.
RESULTS: The prevalence rates of 18 among 30 home barriers exceeded 20%, and the highest was 93% (lack of hand rails in the bathroom). The prevalence of social isolation was 30%.Three home barriers were independently related to social isolation. They were a distant toilet(OR=2.363; 95%CI: 1.527-3.658; p＜0.001), unsuitable seating(OR=1.571; 95%CI: 1.026-2.404; p=0.038), and inaccessible light switches(OR=1.572; 95%CI: 1.064-2.324; p=0.023).
CONCLUSIONS: Many barriers exist in the houses of stroke survivors in rural China. Some of them are related to social isolation. Eliminating or decreasing home barriers could be a feasible and effective approach to reducing social isolation.