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Symptoms and physical activity behavior in individuals with multiple sclerosis
Author(s) -
Motl Robert W.,
Snook Erin M.,
Schapiro Randall T.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.20274
Subject(s) - multiple sclerosis , physical activity , depression (economics) , medicine , psychology , physical therapy , clinical psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , psychiatry , economics , macroeconomics
We examined overall and specific symptoms as correlates of physical activity in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants ( N = 133) completed questionnaires that measured overall symptoms; and specific symptoms of depression, pain, and fatigue; difficulty walking; and physical activity. Initial analyses indicated that higher levels of overall symptoms ( r = −.50), fatigue ( r = −.26), and difficulty walking ( r = −.46) were associated with lower levels of physical activity. Path analysis demonstrated that higher levels of overall symptoms were directly and indirectly associated with lower levels of physical activity; the indirect pathway involved difficulty walking ( γγββ = −.17). Such findings indicate that walking difficulty may partially explain the negative relationship between overall symptoms and physical activity behavior in MS. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 31:466–475, 2008