Experiences Acquiring and Using Mobility Aids Among Working-Age Persons With Multiple Sclerosis Living in Communities in the United States
By Iezzoni, Lisa I.; Rao, Sowmya R.; Kinkel, R. Philip; American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Vol. 89, No. 12, pp. 1010-1023Publication Date: December 2010
Study examined patterns of mobility aid ownership and use among working-age United States residents with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participants, selected from membership lists of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, were 703 community-dwelling adults 23 to 67 years of age who self-reported having MS, 77.5 percent of whom were female. Participants completed a 30 minute telephone interview questionnaire about mobility assistive technology use as well as demographic characteristics, MS history and description of physical mobility functioning, and experiences acquiring mobility aids. Survey results revealed that 60.5 percent of respondents owned at least one mobility aid, most commonly manual wheelchairs by 38.4 percent, followed by canes or crutches by 35.7 percent. Despite owning mobility aids, many had not used this equipment in the previous 12 months, including 4.5 percent of power wheelchair owners. Among manual wheelchair and scooter users, 25 to 30 percent used this equipment only outside their homes. Many reported needing wheeled mobility aids inside their homes but being unable to move their equipment easily within their environment. Approximately one quarter of power wheelchair and scooter users said that they would make different choices today about obtaining their equipment.
Published by: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins (Website:http://www.lww.com)
Association of Academic Physiatrists (Web Site: http://physiatry.org )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J59849
