TY - JOUR

T1 - Self-Care Activities among People with Multiple Sclerosis in Denmark

T2 - Use and User Characteristics

AU - Lynning, Marie

AU - Hanehøj, Kirsten

AU - Karnøe Knudsen, Astrid

AU - Skovgaard, Lasse

PY - 2017/8

Y1 - 2017/8

N2 - Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are known to use a wide range of medical and non-medical treatments. This study aims at investigating the use of self-care activities within this patient group. Material and Methods: The study follows a descriptive cross-sectional design based on an online survey among members of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Society's permanent respondent panel. Results: The results of the study indicate that the respondents carry out a wide variety of self-care activities. These activities comprise conventional activities as well as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)-based activities. The self-care activities are mainly kept up for non-specific and preventive purposes, with primarily personal or non-specific issues as the primary source of inspiration. Comparative analyses indicate that respondents with a low level of self-care more often are men, belong to the young age group and have a low level of education, a low level of self-assessed state of health, a low level of self-assessed quality of life (QoL), and an unknown subdiagnosis. Respondents with a high level of self-care are more often women and have a high level of self-assessed QoL. Conclusions: A wide variety of self-care activities are carried out by PwMS, comprising conventional as well as CAM-based activities. The purposes of such activities are manifold, but they are mainly of non-specific and preventive nature. Differences in background characteristics exist between groups of low and high levels of self-care.

AB - Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are known to use a wide range of medical and non-medical treatments. This study aims at investigating the use of self-care activities within this patient group. Material and Methods: The study follows a descriptive cross-sectional design based on an online survey among members of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Society's permanent respondent panel. Results: The results of the study indicate that the respondents carry out a wide variety of self-care activities. These activities comprise conventional activities as well as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)-based activities. The self-care activities are mainly kept up for non-specific and preventive purposes, with primarily personal or non-specific issues as the primary source of inspiration. Comparative analyses indicate that respondents with a low level of self-care more often are men, belong to the young age group and have a low level of education, a low level of self-assessed state of health, a low level of self-assessed quality of life (QoL), and an unknown subdiagnosis. Respondents with a high level of self-care are more often women and have a high level of self-assessed QoL. Conclusions: A wide variety of self-care activities are carried out by PwMS, comprising conventional as well as CAM-based activities. The purposes of such activities are manifold, but they are mainly of non-specific and preventive nature. Differences in background characteristics exist between groups of low and high levels of self-care.

KW - CAM

KW - Chronic disease

KW - Disease coping

KW - Multiple sclerosis

KW - Self-care

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026491034&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1159/000478262

DO - 10.1159/000478262

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 28743104

AN - SCOPUS:85026491034

VL - 24

SP - 240

EP - 245

JO - Complementary Medicine Research

JF - Complementary Medicine Research

SN - 2504-2092

IS - 4

ER -