Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
Accelerometry in persons with multiple sclerosis: measurement of physical activity or walking mobility?
Madeline Weikert1, Robert W Motl, Yoojin Suh
1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
Objective:
Motion sensors such as accelerometers have been recognized as an ideal measure of physical activity in persons with MS. This study examined the hypothesis that accelerometer movement counts represent a measure of both physical activity and walking mobility in individuals with MS.
Methods:
The sample included 269 individuals with a definite diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS who completed the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12), Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS), and then wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 7days. The data were analyzed using bivariate correlation and confirmatory factor analysis.
Results:
The results indicated that (a) the GLTEQ and IPAQ scores were strongly correlated and loaded significantly on a physical activity latent variable, (b) the MSWS-12 and PDDS scores strongly correlated and loaded significantly on a walking mobility latent variable, and (c) the accelerometer movement counts correlated similarly with the scores from the four self-report questionnaires and cross-loaded on both physical activity and walking mobility latent variables.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that accelerometers are measuring both physical activity and walking mobility in persons with MS, whereas self-report instruments are measuring either physical activity or walking mobility in this population.
