Most People With Arthritis Are Not Exercising Enough, Says Study

More than one-third of adults with arthritis don't exercise at all and most do not exercise enough, says a study in the May 2006 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Vol 30, No 5). While exercise has been shown to decrease their pain, delay disability, and improve gait and function, people with arthritis are even more likely to be inactive than adults in the general population, says a Health Behavior News Service article describing the study. Researchers reviewed data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, an ongoing household survey designed to be representative of the US population. The survey included 6,829 people who had been diagnosed with arthritis and 20,676 people without arthritis. Just 37% of adults with arthritis met the least-stringent physical activity guidelines established by a panel of experts in arthritis, physical activity, and public health in 2001-- a percentage similar to people without arthritis. But participation rates at the more rigorous federally recommended levels of physical activity were even lower for people with arthritis -- 30% compared with 33% for people without arthritis. "We can't tell from this survey which came first -- the inactivity or the problems with function," said coauthor Jennifer Hootman, PhD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But we do know that getting people with arthritis active actually improves function." Hootman and her colleagues say that fear of pain and the misconception that exercise can harm joints are obstacles to getting people with arthritis to exercise.

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