Lower Physical Activity in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis at Increased Fall Risk: A Cross-sectional Study

Persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) often report being afraid of falling, and this may have effects on physical activity (PA) engagement. This study investigated PA levels in persons with MS as a function of fall risk categories. Forty-seven persons with MS participated in the study and were categorized into either increased fall risk (IFR; n = 21; 55.5 +/- 9.0 years) or normal fall risk (NFR; n = 26; 51.2 +/- 12.9 years) groups based on scores from the Activities-Balance Confidence scale. PA was measured by accelerometer and expressed as average steps per day, and time spent in sedentary behavior, light PA, and moderate to vigorous physical activity over the course of 7 consecutive days. Univariate and covariate analyses were used to compare the differences in PA between fall risk groups. The average steps per day of the NFR group was significant higher compared with the IFR group (6024 +/- 2533.1 vs. 2599 +/- 1622.7 steps; P < 0.001), and the difference remained after controlling for disability level (5351 +/- 2298.6 vs. 3432 +/- 2363.6 steps; P = 0.016). There were no differences in light PA and moderate to vigorous physical activity between groups after controlling for disability level. Persons with MS at IFR accumulate fewer steps per day compared with those at NFR. This underscores the need for well-designed interventions targeting walking in this population who are far from the recommended 10,000 steps, particularly those with IFR.