Monday, June 30, 2025 6/30/2025

High-Intensity Interval Training to Recover Walking Post-Stroke: HIT-Stroke Trial 2

Award Number: R01HD093694
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2018
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

High-Intensity Interval Training to Recover Walking Post-Stroke: HIT-Stroke Trial 2 - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Among the 7 million stroke survivors living in the U.S., fewer than 10% have adequate walking speed and endurance to complete normal daily activities like grocery shopping, which leads to a loss of life roles. Stroke rehabilitation guidelines recommend moderate-intensity aerobic training (MAT) via walking exercise to address this limitation in walking capacity. However, recent evidence suggests that MAT may have negligible effects among many people in the chronic phase of stroke (>6 months post stroke), especially those with severe gait impairment (speed <0.4 m/s). There is growing belief that a more vigorous training intensity (>60% heart rate reserve vs 40-60%) may be critical for eliciting greater improvements in walking capacity. Yet, the optimal training intensity has been difficult to determine among stroke survivors because neurologic impairments make it challenging to reach vigorous intensity. This study will use a novel training protocol to overcome this limitation. Based on the well-tested exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation strategy of high-intensity interval training (HIT), this protocol uses bursts of maximum speed walking alternating with recovery periods, to sustain higher intensities than physiologically possible with continuous exercise and with less perceived exertion. Preliminary results suggest that this innovative locomotor HIT protocol may improve walking capacity and other outcomes significantly more than MAT, and that it could be uniquely effective among patients with severe gait impairment, a subgroup that has not yet shown meaningful responses to MAT or other interventions. However, no previous studies have been large enough to test whether a more vigorous training program like HIT increases benefit more than risk, yields sustained gains in walking capacity beyond the end of training or elicits significantly greater improvement than moderate-intensity training among patients with severe gait impairment. In this study, 156 people at least 6 months post-stroke at 3 research sites across the U.S. will be randomized to perform either a HIT or MAT program, each involving 45 minutes of walking exercise with a physical therapist, 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Walking function, fatigue, aerobic capacity, and quality of life will be assessed by blinded raters at baseline, after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of training and 3 months after training ends, while safety will be monitored throughout. The primary statistical analysis will then determine which training intensity is better (vigorous or moderate) for safely producing meaningful and sustained improvements in walking capacity in chronic stroke. A second analysis will also assess whether vigorous training intensity is particularly critical for patients with severe gait impairment. At study completion, we expect to have gained foundational knowledge about how to select training intensity to maximize recovery of walking function after stroke. This new knowledge will likely lead to better outcomes in future studies and clinical rehabilitation, thus making a positive impact on the disability burden of stroke.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $678,686 )
2025	2025	CINCINNATI UNIV OF	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	002	8	6/20/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$678,686
2025	2023	CINCINNATI UNIV OF	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	6	2/19/2025	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$98,489
2025	2022	CINCINNATI UNIV OF	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	2/19/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$98,489
														Subtotal = $678,686

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $679,886 )
2024	2024	CINCINNATI UNIV OF	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	7	6/21/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$679,886
														Subtotal = $679,886

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $708,953 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	6	6/21/2023	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$708,953
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	6/14/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $708,953

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $603,259 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	001	5	4/22/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$60,328
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	5	2/24/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$542,931
														Subtotal = $603,259

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $661,232 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	4	2/24/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$661,232
														Subtotal = $661,232

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $675,163 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	3	2/28/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$675,163
														Subtotal = $675,163

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $687,714 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	2	3/5/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$687,714
														Subtotal = $687,714

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $717,717 )
2018	2018	UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI	2600 CLIFTON AVE	CINCINNATI	OH	45220	HAMILTON	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	4/3/2018	NEW	$717,717
														Subtotal = $717,717

Grand Total All Awards = $5,412,610

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

High-Intensity Interval Training to Recover Walking Post-Stroke: HIT-Stroke Trial 2

Award Number: R01HD093694

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/03/2018

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer