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Updated: Jun 28, 2026
The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Published on: June 30, 2014
Walking performance is worse in black than white people with multiple sclerosis
Robert W Motl1, Deborah Backus2, Jeffrey R Hebert3
1Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 West Taylor St, Applied Health Sciences Building, Room 506J, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago IL 60612, United States.
Background:
There is emerging evidence for poor health outcomes among Black people with MS, and Black people with MS may have worse walking performance than White counterparts.
Purpose:
The current study examined if Black participants with MS had slower walking speed (timed 25-foot walk, T25FW) and shorter walking distance (six-minute walk, 6MW) than White participants, and if these differences were accounted for by demographic variables, physical activity, disease/clinical characteristics, and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).
Method:
The analysis included samples of Black (N = 105) and White (N = 246) participants with MS who completed the T25FW and 6MW, underwent a neurological exam for generating an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and provided data on demographic variables (i.e., age and gender), physical activity, disease/clinical characteristics (i.e., EDSS and MS type), and SDOH (i.e., insurance and employment status) as part of screening and baseline data collection for a clinical trial of exercise training in MS.
Results:
The Black participants (1.75±3.82 f/s) had a slower T25FW speed (-1.16 f/s, 95 % CI = -2.23, -0.82) than the White participants (2.91±4.97 f/s). The Black participants (842.3 ± 375.7 f) further had a shorter 6MW distance (-119.2 f, 95 % CI = -213.6, -24.7) than the White participants (961.5 ± 339.9 f). The differences in T25FW speed (-0.22 f/s; 95 % CI = -0.40, -0.04) and 6MW distance (-82.2 f; 95 % CI = -158.4, -6.0) were attenuated, but still different when controlling for other variables in multivariable analyses.
Conclusion:
Black participants with MS had worse walking performance than the White participants. Our results support future research on examining mobility-focused rehabilitation modalities for improving walking performance in Black people with MS.
Registration:
The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on March 19, 2018 (NCT03468868).
