title: Selected health behaviors moderate the progression of functional limitations in persons with multiple sclerosis: Eleven years of annual follow-up.
abstract: Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disease typically diagnosed in young adulthood, presents with a wide variety of symptoms, impairments and functional limitations. Given the chronic, unpredictable and long-term nature of this disease, preserving function is essential.
  
  
  
  The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial and behavioral factors that might influence the trajectory of functional limitation through eleven years of longitudinal follow-up of a sample of persons with MS.
  
  
  
  Participants (N = 606) completed measures of health behaviors, related constructs and functional limitations annually over eleven years. Longitudinal measures of functional limitations were analyzed using random-effects regression that allows for study of individual differences in the trajectories of a measure. Using the best fitting quadratic growth model, we tested the within and between-person effects of Nutrition, Interpersonal Relationships, Exercise, Stress Management, Health Responsibilities, Spiritual Growth, Self-rated Health and Barriers, controlling for Age, Year since Diagnosis and Year of Dropout, on Functional Limitations in the 11th year.
  
  
  
  After adjusting for covariates, higher mean scores for Exercise and Self-rated Health were related to lower levels of Functional Limitations in Year 11. Higher mean scores for Stress Management, Health Responsibilities and Barriers were related to higher levels of Functional Limitations in Year 11. Higher mean Exercise scores and lower mean Health Responsibilities scores were related to slower rates of progression of functional limitations in Year 11.
  
  
  
  Findings suggest that the highly variable trajectory of functional limitations in MS may be extended and shaped through health behavior strategies.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, USA. Electronic address: astuifbergen@mail.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Alexa K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Stuifbergen
authors.affiliation: The University of California, Davis, USA.
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blozis
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: Tracie
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kullberg
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D004032:Diet; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D018450:Disease Progression; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications; D029181:Spirituality; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Functional limitations; Health behaviors; Multiple sclerosis