Walking Performance Is Worse in Black Than White People With Multiple Sclerosis

Authors

• Robert W. Motl, University of Illinois - Chicago
• Deborah Backus, Shepherd Center
• Jeffrey R. Hebert, University of Colorado
• Alexander V. Ng, Marquette UniversityFollow
• Kevin K. McCully, University of Georgia
• Whitney N. Neal, University of Alabama - Birmingham
• Hollie Schmidt, Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis
• Robert McBurney, Optimal Healthcare Outcomes
• Prudence Plummer, MGH Institute of Health Professions
• Francois Bethoux, Mellen Center for MS
• John Lowman, University of Alabama - Birmingham
• Gary R. Cutter, University of Alabama - Birmingham

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2025

Publisher

Elsevier

Source Publication

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Behaviors

Source ISSN

2110-0348

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2025.106343

Abstract

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).

Comments

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Behaviors, Vol. 95 (March 2025). DOI.

Recommended Citation

Motl, Robert W.; Backus, Deborah; Hebert, Jeffrey R.; Ng, Alexander V.; McCully, Kevin K.; Neal, Whitney N.; Schmidt, Hollie; McBurney, Robert; Plummer, Prudence; Bethoux, Francois; Lowman, John; and Cutter, Gary R., "Walking Performance Is Worse in Black Than White People With Multiple Sclerosis" (2025). Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications. 251.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/exsci_fac/251