Predicting habitual walking in persons with Multiple Sclerosis: associations with cognitive-motor interference, mobility, cognition and quality of life

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Habitual walking is often affected in pwMS but there is little knowledge about the association of habitual walking with other factors like dual task capacity, mobility, quality of life or cognitive abilities. OBJECTIVES: Investigate the predictability of habitual walking by steps/day in pwMS. PARTICIPANTS: 45 pwMS with an EDSS score between two and five were recruited in different centers in Italy, Israel, and Belgium. MEASUREMENTS: The outcome measures are divided into the categories mobility, cognition, cognitive-motor interference and quality of life. Habitual walking was the primary outcome measure. The outcome measures existed out of questionnaires, performance scales, and the Yamax pedometer. RESULTS: The DGI is the most predicting factor for habitual walking. In general, mobility outcome measures are the most correlated with habitual walking. For the cognition, motor-cognitive interference and quality of life outcome measures none of the factors correlated to habitual walking. CONCLUSION: In persons with mild MS, habitual walking can be predicted by the DGI with an RSquare score of 0,34. This model predicts only a small part, there could be several other factors that are not investigated in this study, but that have an influence on habitual walking. More research is necessary on bigger and more diverse samples, with older and more severely disabled patients, including more possible influencing factors.