Activities of daily living and social activities in people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm County

Objective: To describe independence in personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL), and frequency of social/lifestyle activities in a population-based sample of people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm. Design: Population-based survey. Setting: Data collection in home environment. Subjects: One hundred and sixty-six people with multiple sclerosis. Interventions: Data were collected using measurements and structured interviews. Main measures: Independence in ADL was assessed by the Barthel Index; independence in personal and instrumental ADL by the Katz Extended ADL Index; and frequency of social/lifestyle activities by the Frenchay Activities Index. Results: The mean age was 51+/-12 years in the included 166 people with multiple sclerosis, of whom 71% (n = 118) were women. Fifty-two per cent (n = 85) were independent in personal ADL, 30% (n = 50) in instrumental ADL, and 35% (n = 57) had normal frequency of social/lifestyle activities. Most frequently affected ADL items were cleaning indoors and outdoors transportation (62%, n = 102) and the social/lifestyle items of household maintenance (59%, n = 97), walking outside ( 59%, n = 97), heavy housework (61%, n = 100), and gardening (68%, n = 112). Conclusions: ADL and social/lifestyle activities were affected in two-thirds of people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm. The most affected items were items that could be classified as mobility-related and physically demanding, underlining the importance of developing and using evidence-based exercise treatments and rehabilitation to increase independence in people with multiple sclerosis in Stockholm.