OBJECTIVE: To explore the health promotion behaviors of women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, disabling disease affecting the central nervous system. DESIGN: Participants completed a battery of instruments measuring illness-related disability, health-promoting behaviors, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the frequency of various health promotion practices among women with MS. Participants were grouped according to clinical course and compared on frequency of health-promoting behaviors using multivariate analysis of variance. Path analysis was used to test the hypothesis that health-promoting behavior mediates the relation of illness severity to quality of life. PARTICIPANTS: Women with physician-diagnosed MS (n = 629) who were community-residing were recruited with the assistance of two chapters of the National MS Society. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II; Quality of Life Index-MS Version. RESULTS: Overall, these women scored lower on measures of physical activity (moderate effect size) and spiritual growth (small effect size) than the comparison "normative" sample. Women with benign sensory and relapsing-remitting MS were more likely than women with progressive MS to engage in physical activity and spiritual growth behaviors. Health-promoting behaviors mediated the relation of illness-related disability to quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the impact of living with a chronic disabling condition on the frequency of health-promoting behaviors. Additional research is needed to identify factors that enhance both the initiation and maintenance of health promotion behaviors.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the health promotion behaviors of women with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, disabling disease affecting the central nervous system. DESIGN:Participants completed a battery of instruments measuring illness-related disability, health-promoting behaviors, and quality of life. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the frequency of various health promotion practices among women with MS. Participants were grouped according to clinical course and compared on frequency of health-promoting behaviors using multivariate analysis of variance. Path analysis was used to test the hypothesis that health-promoting behavior mediates the relation of illness severity to quality of life. PARTICIPANTS: Women with physician-diagnosed MS (n = 629) who were community-residing were recruited with the assistance of two chapters of the National MS Society. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II; Quality of Life Index-MS Version. RESULTS: Overall, these women scored lower on measures of physical activity (moderate effect size) and spiritual growth (small effect size) than the comparison "normative" sample. Women with benign sensory and relapsing-remitting MS were more likely than women with progressive MS to engage in physical activity and spiritual growth behaviors. Health-promoting behaviors mediated the relation of illness-related disability to quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the impact of living with a chronic disabling condition on the frequency of health-promoting behaviors. Additional research is needed to identify factors that enhance both the initiation and maintenance of health promotion behaviors.