RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of environmental factors on the ability of mobility in subjects with chronic stroke who can perform nearly independent activities of daily living (ADL). METHOD: Sixty one patients were divided into three groups (superior, middle, and inferior) by the degree of independent walking. Modified self-administered questionnaire was completed to report how well the patients encountered the environmental elements faced in community mobility. In addition, all patients were assessed to find out the difference of ADL performance, Berg balance scale (BBS), 10 m walking time (10 mWT) and patterns of 'going out' among the three groups. RESULTS: The group 1 (superior group) had shown better performance than group 2 (middle group) and group 3 (inferior group) in performance of ADL, BBS, 10 mWT. Secondly, the group 1 visited more places or destinations per day than the group 2 and 3, and they used more various transportation systems than other groups. Finally, there were significant differences in the distance dimension, the temporal dimension, terrain dimension (except for a 'getting on a elevator' component), and density dimension among the groups. CONCLUSION: Environmental factors as well as functional abilities could affect the mobility of subjects with chronic stroke. This result suggests that any kinds of compensation and the supports of social institutions are needed even in subjects of nearly independent ADL for their improvement of mobility and convenience.