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Updated: Jan 15, 2026
Using a Real-Time Locating System to Measure Walking Activity Associated with Wandering Behaviors Among Institutionalized Older Adults
Published on: February 8, 2019
Validity of Scores From the 12-Item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults With
Robert W Motl1, Petra Šilić1, Trinh L T Huynh2
1Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Objective:
To examine the construct validity of inferences from scores on the 12-item multiple sclerosis walking scale (MSWS-12) as a patient-reported outcome measure of walking dysfunction among young, middle-aged, and older adults with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Design:
Cross-sectional, comparative research design.
Setting:
University research laboratory.
Participants:
The sample included 187 participants (N=187) with MS who were categorized into young (20-39y, n=50), middle-aged (40-59y, n=83), and older (60-79y, n=54) adult age groups.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
The participants completed the MSWS-12; the timed 25-foot walk, 6-minute walk, and timed Up and Go; and the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS. The data analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Version 29.0.2.0 for the iOS platform.
Results:
There were similar patterns of linear worsening of scores for the MSWS-12 (F1,187=12.7, P<.001, η2=0.07), timed 25-foot walk (F1,187=11.5, P<.001, η2=0.06), 6-minute walk (F1,187=13.1, P<.001, η2=0.08), and timed Up and Go (F1,184=10.8, P<.001, η2=0.06) across the 3 age groups. MSWS-12 scores had strong partial correlations with timed 25-foot walk, 6-minute walk, and timed Up and Go in the overall sample (partial r's of 0.59, 0.66, 0.55, respectively) and across the 3 age groups, when controlling for Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS outcomes.
Conclusions:
We provide new evidence for the construct validity of MSWS-12 scores as a patient-reported outcome measure of walking dysfunction across the adult lifespan in MS. Our results, in particular, support the application of the MSWS-12 in clinical research and practice involving older adults with MS who experience the combined effects of advanced age and MS disease progression.
