Physical Activity Inventory for Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering
• Kinesiology

Background:

• Assessing physical activity in individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) is crucial for rehabilitation and health management.
• Existing instruments may not adequately capture the unique physical activity patterns and limitations of the SCI population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Physical Activity Instrument-SCI (PAI-SCI), an adapted questionnaire for individuals with SCI.
• To determine if the PAI-SCI can differentiate physical activity levels based on injury level.

Main Methods:

• Forty-three male participants with SCI completed the PAI-SCI at baseline and 1 week later.
• Objective physical activity was measured using wrist accelerometry for 1 week concurrently with the baseline PAI-SCI assessment.

Main Results:

• A moderate correlation was found between PAI-SCI total scores and accelerometry-measured activity counts (r = 0.42, P = 0.036).
• The PAI-SCI demonstrated the ability to distinguish between individuals with upper and lower-level SCI (P = 0.05).
• Test-retest reliability was supported for exercise and general activity/self-care subscales, but not for light household or outdoor/gardening subscales.

Conclusions:

• The PAI-SCI is a potentially valuable tool for assessing physical activity in individuals with SCI, particularly for differentiating between injury levels.
• While showing promise, further research is recommended to establish the PAI-SCI's utility in clinical trials and broader applications.