Substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic among persons with traumatic spinal cord injury: A cross-sectional perspective.

Study Design: Analysis of data from two cohorts of Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database (SCIMS) participants, pre-pandemic (2017-2019,  = 6368) and during pandemic (2020,  = 1889).

Objectives: To examine differences in substance use during the pandemic compared to the years prior to the pandemic.

Setting: 19 SCIMS Centers.

Effect of Training for an Athletic Challenge on Illness Cognition in Individuals with Chronic Disability: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Illness cognitions (IC) influence how a patient adapts to a chronic disease. The aim was (1) to determine if training for a handcycling mountain time trial (HandbikeBattle) improves IC and (2) to identify factors associated with IC change scores. Persons with a chronic disability (N = 220; including N = 151 with spinal cord disorder) trained 5 months and participated in the time trial.

Impact of Upper Limb Motor Recovery on Functional Independence After Traumatic Low Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) causes devastating loss of upper limb function and independence. Restoration of upper limb function can have a profound impact on independence and quality of life. In low-cervical SCI (level C5-C8), upper limb function can be restored via reinnervation strategies such as nerve transfer surgery.

Association of upper-limb neurological recovery with functional outcomes in high cervical spinal cord injury.

Objective: High cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) results in complete loss of upper-limb function, resulting in debilitating tetraplegia and permanent disability. Spontaneous motor recovery occurs to varying degrees in some patients, particularly in the 1st year postinjury. However, the impact of this upper-limb motor recovery on long-term functional outcomes remains unknown.

The Effects of Virtual Reality Tele-exergaming on Cardiometabolic Indicators of Health Among Youth With Cerebral Palsy: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Youth with cerebral palsy do not have enjoyable, accessible, and scalable exercise options that can empower them to independently maintain their cardiometabolic health.

Objective: The primary aim is to examine the preliminary efficacy of a 12-week home-based virtual reality tele-exergaming intervention on several indicators of cardiometabolic health in youth with cerebral palsy compared to the wait list control. A secondary aim is to describe feasibility metrics, namely, recruitment, retention, and adherence rates; perceived enjoyment; intervention safety; and management issues.

The impact of COVID-19 on the lifestyles of adolescents with cerebral palsy in the Southeast United States.

Background: The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and their families is underinvestigated, particularly in the Southeastern United States.

Objective/hypothesis: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on lifestyle activities, general and mental health, and basic needs among a cohort of adolescents with CP in the Southeast U.S.

Demographic and Health Profiles of People Living With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in the United States During 2015-2019: Findings from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Database.

Objective: To estimate the population profile of people living with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) to help evaluate health care needs of this aging population.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States.

Rehabilitation Length of Stay, Body Mass Index, and Functional Improvement Among Adults With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To examine the modifying effect of body mass index (BMI) on the association between rehabilitation length of stay (LOS), severity of injury, and motor FIM (mFIM) improvement in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Seventeen SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States.

Cause of Death Trends Among Persons With Spinal Cord Injury in the United States: 1960-2017.

Objective: To identify trends in causes of death after spinal cord injury (SCI) that could enhance understanding of why life expectancy after SCI has not improved in the last 3 decades.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Twenty-nine SCI Model Systems and 3 Shriners Hospitals.

Mortality Beyond the First Year After Spinal Cord Injury: Does Body Mass Index Matter?

Objective: To examine the association between body mass index (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared]) and mortality after the first year post spinal cord injury (SCI) overall and across demographic and injury characteristics.

Design: Cohort study.

Setting: Sixteen Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) centers.

Rehabilitation length of stay and functional improvement among patients with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Investigate the association between rehabilitation length of stay (LOS) and motor FIM (mFIM) between rehabilitation admission and discharge among patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Seventeen SCI Model Systems (SCIMS) centers in the United States.

A Concordance Table to Convert FIM Basic Mobility and Self-Care Scale Scores to SCI-FI/AT Scores.

Objective: To estimate Spinal Cord Injury Functional Index Assistive Technology (SCI-FI/AT) scores from FIM motor items.

Design: Secondary data analysis.

Setting: Fourteen Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) programs.

Linking Individual Data From the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Center and Local Trauma Registry: Development and Validation of Probabilistic Matching Algorithm.

Background: Linking records from the National Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) database to the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) provides a unique opportunity to study early variables in predicting long-term outcomes after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). The public use data sets of SCIMS and NTDB are stripped of protected health information, including dates and zip code.

Objectives: To develop and validate a probabilistic algorithm linking data from an SCIMS center and its affiliated trauma registry.

The impact of body mass index on one-year mortality after spinal cord injury.

Evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI, kg/m) and one-year mortality among people who survived the first 90 days after spinal cord injury (SCI). Cohort study. Eighteen SCI Model Systems centers throughout the United States.

An E-Learning Program for Increasing Physical Activity Associated Behaviors Among People with Spinal Cord Injury: Usability Study.

Background: The majority of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States are not meeting the recommended guidelines for regular physical activity. Behavior change techniques (eg, goal setting and action planning) that are framed within the principles of the social cognitive theory (self-efficacy and self-regulation) have the potential to enhance physical activity behavior.

Objective: The aim of the study was to develop and test the usability of an electronic learning (e-learning) program for improving social cognitive factors related to physical activity behavior among people with SCI.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Obesity in People With Spinal Cord Injury: The Effects of Disadvantaged Neighborhood.

Objective: To examine the role of neighborhood in the relation between race and obesity in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: A cross-sectional analysis of survey data from National SCI Database linked with neighborhood data from American Community Survey by census tract.

Setting: A total of 17 SCI Model Systems centers.

Racial Differences in Data Quality and Completeness: Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems' Experiences.

Among people with spinal cord injury (SCI), minorities experience a disproportionately higher burden of diseases. Knowledge of data quality by race/ethnicity will help better design racial health disparity research and understand potential errors/biases. To investigate racial/ethnic differences in response completeness in a longitudinal SCI database.

Racial Differences in Weight Gain: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study of Persons With Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To assess racial differences in body mass index (BMI) change over 5 years among people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Multicenter longitudinal study.

Setting: Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems centers.