Article

Reduced physical activity is an important consequence of multiple
sclerosis (MS). However, little is known about the real quantity and type of
daily activities that people with MS perform in their own home environment.
Objective. To gain insight into differences in the amount and patterns of
physical activities performed over a 24-hour period in the own community
environment of patients with MS and healthy individuals. Methods. A total of 43
ambulatory patients with MS and 26 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals
participated. Physical activity recorded with an ambulatory activity monitor was
classified into postures and motions. Multilevel analyses were conducted to
investigate whether the pattern of physical activities across daily periods
(morning, afternoon, and evening) was dependent on the group (MS vs healthy
individuals). Results. Results showed a significant overall lower amount of
dynamic activity as compared with a group of healthy controls (P < .001).
Patients with MS started with lower physical activity levels already in the
morning (P < .001), and this difference persisted in the afternoon (P = .002) and
evening (P = .032). Conclusion. Activity monitoring gives insight into real-world
daily physical behavior. Our findings suggest that patients with MS may adopt a
deliberate anticipatory strategy of lower activity in the morning, which persists
throughout the day. Future trials evaluating daily changes in physical activity
behavior should simultaneously sample self-report measures of energy levels and
fatigue to elucidate the complex interaction between symptoms and physical
activity.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS