Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Persons Newly Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-sectional Study.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2023;
104:1820-1826. [PMID:
37119953 DOI:
10.1016/j.apmr.2023.04.004]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association between physical activity (PA) and quality of life (QOL) in persons newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have been under-represented in MS research.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study with secondary data analysis.
SETTING
General community.
PARTICIPANTS
The study included 152 persons newly diagnosed with MS (ie, diagnosed with MS within the past 2 years) aged 18 and older (N=152).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Participants completed the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire to measure PA. QOL, disability status, fatigue, mood, and comorbidity were assessed using the 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12), Patient Determined Disease Steps, Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire Multiple Sclerosis, and comorbidity questionnaire.
RESULTS
The bivariate correlations indicated that PA was significantly and positively associated with the physical component of QOL (ie, SF-12 PCS) (r=0.46). The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated PA as associated with SF-12 PCS (β=0.43, R2=0.17) when solely included in the model. After controlling for fatigue, mood, disability status, and comorbidity as covariates (R2=0.63), the association between PA and SF-12 PCS was still statistically significant, but attenuated in magnitude (β=0.11).
CONCLUSIONS
This study observed that PA was significantly associated with the physical component of QOL in persons newly diagnosed with MS, even after controlling for covariates. The findings underscore the importance of developing behavior change interventions targeting PA while addressing the roles of fatigue and disability status for enhancing the physical component of QOL of this MS subpopulation.
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