Activities of daily living performed by individuals with SCI: relationships with physical fitness and leisure time physical activity

Study Design: Cross-sectional. Objectives: To examine patterns of participation in activities of daily living (ADL) and fitness-related factors associated with these patterns among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Centre for Health Promotion and Rehabilitation at McMaster University, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen's University. Methods: Forty-eight participants completed the Physical Activity Recall Assessment for People with Spinal Cord Injury (PARA-SCI) and a fitness test assessing cardiovascular fitness (VO2max and peak power output (Po)). The most commonly reported ADL were extracted from the PARA-SCI data for analysis. Results: Women tended to spend more time participating in domestic and personal care ADL than men. Compared to individuals with tetraplegia, individuals with paraplegia tended to spend more time transferring, cleaning and preparing food and less time wheeling, toileting and dressing. Fitness and participation in leisure time physical activity (LTPA) were associated with certain ADL. Participants with higher levels of fitness spent more time partaking in ADL wheeling and cleaning. Moreover, greater time spent participating in moderate- and heavy-intensity LTPA was positively correlated with time spent engaged in certain ADL. Conclusion: By identifying common ADL performed by individuals with SCI, the study findings begin to provide direction for developing strategies to optimize ADL participation. Future research should examine fitness as a way to help individuals with SCI optimize their ADL participation. Spinal Cord (2009) 47, 550-554; doi: 10.1038/sc.2008.160; published online 23 December 2008