title: Effect of body mass index on stroke rehabilitation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and the functional progress of patients with stroke, admitted to a rehabilitation hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A freestanding university rehabilitation hospital stroke unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients (N=819) admitted to the stroke unit of a rehabilitation hospital during the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary study outcome measure was the FIM efficiency of patients by BMI category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the 819 patients admitted during the observation period, BMI was compared with FIM score changes per day (FIM efficiency). After adjusting for age and sex, the FIM efficiency differed by BMI. The underweight group had the lowest FIM efficiency, followed by the obese and normal-weight subgroups. The overweight group had the highest FIM efficiency (P=.05) when compared with the obese subgroup.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among patients admitted to an acute rehabilitation hospital for stroke rehabilitation, overweight patients had better functional progress than did patients in the other weight categories.
authors: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: Dburke2@emory.edu.
authors: David T
authors: DT
authors: Burke
authors: Department of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
authors: Samir
authors: S
authors: Al-Adawi
authors: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors: Regina B
authors: RB
authors: Bell
authors: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
authors: Kirk
authors: K
authors: Easley
authors: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
authors: Shou
authors: S
authors: Chen
authors: Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA.
authors: Daniel P
authors: DP
authors: Burke
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000534:rehabilitation; D050177:Overweight / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012016:Reference Values; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Body mass index; CVA (cerebrovascular accident); Outcome; Rehabilitation; Stroke