QOL15
Differences in Work, Active Transportation, Domestic and Garden, and Leisure Domains of Physical Activity By Disability Level in Multiple Sclerosis
Decreased physical activity (PA) can lead to increased comorbidities, loss of function, and decreased overall quality of life in persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). PA has been shown to be lower in PwMS compared to healthy controls, and inversely related to disability. However, literature does not exist on how PA is different in work, active transportation, domestic and garden, and leisure domains of PA by disability level.
Objectives:
To compare PA levels of the work, active transportation, domestic and garden, and leisure domains between disability levels in PwMS.
Methods:
Participants (n=183) completed a one-time research visit in which demographics, disability (patient determined disease steps; PDDS), and PA (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Form; IPAQ-LF) were captured. Disability subgroups included: mild (PDDS: 0-1), moderate (PDDS: 2-3), severe ambulant (PDDS: 4-6), and severe non-ambulant (PDDS: 7-8). PA was calculated as Metabolic Equivalent minutes per week (MET/min/week) for PA domains of work, active transportation, domestic and garden, and leisure. Total PA (MET/min/week) and Sitting (min/week) were also calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare PA between disability subgroups; significance values were adjusted with a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.
Results:
An overall difference was found in work PA (H(3)=17.543, P=.001); the severe ambulant group had less work PA compared to the mild disability group (P=.001). Domestic and garden PA (H(3)=9.435, P=.024) had an overall difference between disability groups, with the severe ambulant group having less compared to the mild group (P=.019). Total PA (H(3)=16.296, P=.001) was different overall, with the severe ambulant group’s PA significantly lower than the mild (P<.001) and moderate groups (P=0.040). Lastly, total sitting (H(3)=37.442, P<.001) had an overall difference; the mild group had less sitting time than the severe ambulant (P<.001) and non-ambulant (P=.001) groups, and the moderate group had less sitting time than the severe ambulant (P<.001) and non-ambulant (P=.003) groups. No difference was found for active transportation and leisure (P>.05).
Conclusions:
PA differs the most between PwMS with mild compared to severe ambulant disability. These findings indicate that PwMS have a significantly lower level of total, work, and domestic and garden PA as the level of physical disability significantly increases.