Author: Sandra Magalhaes, Brenda Banwell, Amit Bar-Or, Isabel Fortier, Heather E Hanwell, Ming Lim, Georg E Matt, Rinze F Neuteboom, David L O’Riordan, Paul K Schneider, Maura Pugliatti, Bryna Shatenstein, Catherine M Tansey, Evangeline Wassmer, Christina Wolfson
Year: 2018
Category:
Health Publications,
Social Policy
Read the journal article in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal
While studying the etiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children has several methodological advantages over studying etiology in adults, studies are limited by small sample sizes.
Using a rigorous methodological process, we developed the Pediatric MS Tool-Kit, a measurement framework that includes a minimal set of core variables to assess etiological risk factors.
The Tool-Kit includes six core variables to measure ETS, six to measure sun exposure, and six to measure vitamin D intake. The Tool-Kit can be accessed online.
The goals of the Tool-Kit are to enhance exposure measurement in newly designed pediatric MS studies and comparability of results across studies, and in the longer term to facilitate harmonization of studies, a methodological approach that can be used to circumvent issues of small sample sizes. We believe the Tool-Kit will prove to be a valuable resource to guide pediatric MS researchers in developing study-specific questionnaire
