title: The Canadian survey of health, lifestyle and ageing with multiple sclerosis: methodology and initial results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are living longer so strategies to enhance long-term health are garnering more interest. We aimed to create a profile of ageing with MS in Canada by recruiting 1250 (5% of the Canadian population above 55 years with MS) participants and focusing data collection on health and lifestyle factors, disability, participation and quality of life to determine factors associated with healthy ageing.
  
  
  METHODS
  National multicentre postal survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recruitment from Canadian MS clinics, MS Society of Canada chapters and newspaper advertisements.
  
  
  METHODS
  People aged 55 years or older with MS symptoms more than 20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Validated outcome measures and custom-designed questions examining MS disease characteristics, living situation, disability, comorbid conditions, fatigue, health behaviours, mental health, social support, impact of MS and others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 921 surveys, 743 were returned (80.7% response rate). Participants (mean age 64.6±6.2 years) reported living with MS symptoms for an average of 32.9±9.5 years and 28.6% were either wheelchair users or bedridden. There was only 5.4% missing data and 709 respondents provided optional qualitative information. According to data derived from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey of Canadians above 55 years of age, older people with MS from this survey sample are about eight times less likely to be employed full-time. Older people with MS were less likely to engage in regular physical activity (26.7%) compared with typical older Canadians (45.2%). However, they were more likely to abstain from alcohol and smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite barriers to participation, we were able to recruit and gather detailed responses (with good data quality) from a large proportion of older Canadians with MS. The data suggest that this sample of older people with MS is less likely to be employed, are less active and more disabled than other older Canadians.
authors.affiliation: Recovery and Performance Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ploughman
authors.affiliation: Eastern Health Authority, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beaulieu
authors.affiliation: Recovery and Performance Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Chelsea
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: Recovery and Performance Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hogan
authors.affiliation: Recovery and Performance Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Olivia J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Manning
authors.affiliation: Recovery and Performance Laboratory, Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Penelope W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Alderdice
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fisk
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: A Dessa
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sadovnick
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Michaels Regional Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: London Health Science Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Luanne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Penelope
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Internal Medicine and Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Ruth Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Marrie
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Katherine B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stefanelli
authors.affiliation: Primary Health Care Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
authors.forename: Marshall
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godwin
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis
keywords: Neurology; Rehabilitation Medicine