Sedentary Behavior and Lower-Extremity Physical Function across the Lifespan of Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

Brenda Jeng (), Petra Šilić, Trinh L. T. Huynh and Robert W. Motl
Additional contact information
Brenda Jeng: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Petra Šilić: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Trinh L. T. Huynh: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35223, USA
Robert W. Motl: Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: One outcome of aging with multiple sclerosis (MS) involves the decline in physical function, including compromised balance, reduced walking speed, and lower-extremity strength. Sedentary behavior, the other end of the activity continuum, may be targeted for improvements in physical function among adults with MS, but less is known about the relationship between sedentary behavior and physical function with increasing age in MS. This study examined the associations between device-measured volume and pattern of sedentary behavior and physical function based on SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery) of ambulatory persons with MS across the lifespan. We categorized participants (N = 216) into young (20–39 years), middle-aged (40–59 years), and older (60–79 years) age groups. Participants completed the SPPB during a single visit to the laboratory and wore an accelerometer for a 7-day period. The one-way analysis of variance indicated no differences in volume and pattern of sedentary behavior among the three age groups, except for average sedentary bout length. Spearman bivariate correlations indicated that pattern, but not volume, of sedentary behavior was associated with physical function in young, middle-aged, and older adults, and the magnitude of these associations varied by age group. Future interventions may reduce and break up prolonged periods of sedentary behavior for improvements in physical function and possibly other consequences in persons with MS.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis; aging; lifespan; physical function; balance; gait; strength (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12466/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/19/12466/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12466-:d:929911

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().