Influence of perceived barriers and facilitators for physical activity on physical activity levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study of 150 patients

Living with axial spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional survey of patient knowledge and perceptions

Diagnosis and effective treatment of axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) are often delayed due to inadequate awareness and poor patient-physician communication. Some AxSpA patients fail to maintain an active lifestyle by exercising regularly, further worsening their disease management. The evolving concept of patient-centred care necessitates better understanding of patient awareness and their needs. We aimed to survey AxSpA patients to reflect on healthcare planning and management perspectives. Our self-administered questionnaire focused on perceptions of AxSpA diagnosis and management, particularly exploring issues of physical activity and active lifestyle. Satisfaction with AxSpA medical care and its accessibility, diagnostic delays, patient-physician communication, and support for disease management were also explored. This offline survey was arranged at the Department of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Internal Medicine of Jagiellonian University Medical College and Krakow University Hospital. We surveyed patients with AxSpA attending outpatient clinics between December 1st, 2023 and April 22nd, 2024. The questionnaire included questions on types of physical activities, barriers to exercising, satisfaction with medical care, patient-physician interactions, diagnostic delays, and use of teleconsultations. A total of 117 patients with AxSpA were enrolled (mean age 41.62 years). The majority (n = 93, 79.5%) were employed. There was a male predominance (69, 59%). The average diagnostic delay was 5.5 years. Notably, 104 (88.9%) responders perceived physical activity as a factor influencing their disease course. However, only 32 (27.35%) managed to exercise regularly (≥ 30 min, 2-3 times a week). The majority (70, 59.83%) were irregularly engaged in some form of physical activity, with 15 (12.8%) not exercising at all, and nearly half (48%) reported at least one barrier to maintaining a physically active lifestyle. Pain (32, 27.35%), fatigue (27, 23.08%), lack of motivation (17, 14.53%), and lack of time (12, 10.26%) were noted as barriers to exercising. The respondents preferred to exercise at home. The survey identified critical areas where patient dissatisfaction or uncertainty were notably prevalent: 38 (32.5%) were uncertain and 35 (30%) were dissatisfied with rehabilitation access. For spa therapy, 63 (53.85%) reported uncertainty and 23 (19.7%) expressed dissatisfaction. Only 48 (41%) were treated by a rehabilitation specialist last year. Only 23% of AxSpA patients took part in teleconsultations last year, and 65% preferred in-person visits. While AxSpA patients recognize the importance of physical activity, significant barriers exist to engaging them regularly in exercising. Addressing these barriers through personalized, motivational, and educational strategies could improve patient outcomes. Improving patient satisfaction with healthcare services, particularly in areas of rehabilitation and physician-patient communication, is crucial for improving the overall care of AxSpA patients.

Investigation of factors affecting physical activity level in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to determine physical activity levels and understand the factors influencing an active lifestyle among patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

METHODS

Ninety-seven patients participated in this multicentric study. Physical activity levels were assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). The Inflammatory Arthritis Facilitators and Barriers (IFAB) questionnaire was used to evaluate perceived barriers and facilitators to physical activity.

RESULTS

Forty-six patients were physically inactive and the rest of them were moderately active. Commonly identified barriers included a lack of motivation, fatigue, and pain. Conversely, knowledge of the health and mood benefits for physical activity emerged as a key motivator. Patients with better scores on facilitators and lower scores on barriers exhibited higher physical activity levels (p < 0.05). Notably, a high level of perceived facilitators of physical activity (odds ratio [OR]: 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 – 1.05) and reduced pain (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69 – 0.95) were linked to an active lifestyle.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes the role of motivation and awareness of the benefits of physical activity for health and mood in driving physical activity for patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome. Tailored physical activity programs that address psychological aspects and disease-related pain, and fatigue should be designed to counter sedentary lifestyles in pSS patients.

Barriers and facilitators for physical activity in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease: a European-based survey

Physical activity (PA) is a key strategy for improving symptoms in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). The aim of this study was to investigate and rank the importance of known barriers and facilitators for engaging in PA, from the perspective of people living with RMD. Five hundred thirty-three people with RMD responded to a survey (nine questions) disseminated by the People with Arthritis and Rheumatism (PARE) network of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR). The survey required participants to rank - based on their perceived importance - known PA barriers and facilitators from the literature, and specifically RMD symptoms as well as healthcare and community factors that may affect PA participation. Of the participants, 58% reported rheumatoid arthritis as their primary diagnosis, 89% were female, and 59% were between 51 and 70 years of age. Overall, participants reported fatigue (61.4%), pain (53.6%) and painful/swollen joints (50.6%) as the highest ranked barriers for engaging in PA. Conversely, less fatigue (66.8%) and pain (63.6%), and being able to do daily activities more easy (56.3%) were identified as the most important facilitators to PA. Three literature identified PA barriers, i.e., general health (78.8%), fitness (75.3%) and mental health (68.1%), were also ranked as being the most important for PA engagement. Symptoms of RMDs, such as pain and fatigue, seem to be considered the predominant barriers to PA by people with RMD; the same barriers are also the ones that they want to improve through increasing PA, suggesting a bi-directional relationship between these factors. Key Points • Symptoms of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) are the predominant barriers for lack of physical activity engagement. • RMD symptoms are the factors that people with RMDs want to improve when engaging in PA. • The barriers that stop people living with RMDs to do more PA are the ones that can be significantly improved through PA engagement.

Persons with rheumatoid arthritis have higher barriers to physical activity than controls: a cross-sectional study using the Facilitators and Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire (FasBarPAQ)

Facilitators and barriers to performing physical activity (PA) may vary among persons with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as well as between RA patients and healthy individuals. Primary objective: To investigate associations of presence of RA and levels of stress and depression with scores for facilitators and barriers to PA, using a new questionnaire (FasBarPAQ). Secondary objectives: investigate inter-individual score differences in persons with RA, and associations with RA disease-specific variables. Persons with RA from two outpatient clinics (n = 203) and blood donor controls (n = 293) filled in the new 14-item FasBarPAQ questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression scale (HADS-D), Cohen's perceived stress scale, and questions regarding PA. Clinical data, and self-reported disease activity and physical function were collected for the persons with RA. Data were analyzed using linear and logistic regression. RA was associated with lower Facilitators scores (coefficient = - 1.30, p = 0.015), higher Barriers scores (coefficient = 2.36, p < 0.001) and lower Total Facilitators-Barriers scores (coefficient = - 3.67, p < 0.001). HADS-D ≥ 8 was associated with lower Total scores (coefficient = - 3.32, p = 0.022), and the two higher stress score tertiles were associated with higher Barriers and lower Total scores (p = 0.023 to p < 0.001). Persons with RA reported greatly varying facilitators and barriers profiles. Seropositivity and higher patient global assessment were associated with higher Barriers scores (coefficients = 1.79, p = 0.011; 0.60, p < 0.001) and lower Total scores (coefficients = - 3.60, p = 0.003; - 0.98, p < 0.001). Persons with RA had higher barriers and lower facilitators for PA, with varying individual profiles. The new FasBarPAQ questionnaire may be a useful screening tool for healthcare providers treating persons with RA.

The challenges of measuring physical activity and sedentary behaviour in people with rheumatoid arthritis

The importance of sufficient moderate-to-vigorous physical activity as a key component of a healthy lifestyle is well established, as are the health risks associated with high levels of sedentary behaviour. However, many people with RA do not undertake sufficient physical activity and are highly sedentary. To start addressing this, it is important to be able to carry out an adequate assessment of the physical activity levels of individual people in order that adequate steps can be taken to promote and improve healthy lifestyles. Different methods are available to measure different aspects of physical activity in different settings. In controlled laboratory environments, respiratory gas analysis can measure the energy expenditure of different activities accurately. In free-living environments, the doubly labelled water method is the gold standard for identifying total energy expenditure over a prolonged period of time (>10 days). To assess patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in daily life, objective methods with body-worn activity monitors using accelerometry are superior to self-reported questionnaire- or diary-based methods.

The challenge of exercise (non-)adherence: a scoping review of methods and techniques applied to improve adherence to physical activity and exercise in people with inflammatory arthritis

Objectives

The aims were to explore the nature of methods/techniques applied to improve adherence to physical activity (PA) and exercise in people with inflammatory arthritis and to identify whether studies were theory based and/or used behaviour change techniques (BCTs).

Methods

Searches were undertaken of English language articles within four databases: Embase, Medline, PsycINFO and Cochrane. Articles were included if they assessed adherence to a PA and/or exercise intervention. A narrative synthesis of the findings is reported.

Results

Of 1909 studies screened, 18 studies met inclusion criteria. Adherence was most frequently included as a secondary outcome. Reporting of adherence measures was poor, in that 13 studies did not use a validated measure of adherence, with only three validated measures being identified. The majority of studies were not theory driven (n = 13), although the health belief model was the most used theoretical framework (n = 5). Only two studies mentioned both theory and BCTs. Four studies reported components that were mapped onto BCTs, with goal setting being the most prevalent.

Conclusion

This scoping review found that adherence to PA and/or exercise interventions was rarely the focus of research, despite its importance in maintaining health in people with inflammatory arthritis. Where research has been conducted in this area, serious shortcomings were revealed, in that psychological theory, evidence-based BCTs derived from theory and valid adherence measures were not used to inform intervention design and target adherence, meaning that interventions were suboptimal. These results suggest that there is considerable room for improvement and that more high-quality research is required to investigate determinants of adherence and develop impactful interventions.

Barriers and facilitators to physical activity in people with an inflammatory joint disease: a mixed methods study

Background

Physical activity has been shown to be of great benefit to people with an inflammatory joint disease (IJD), however people with an IJD have been shown to be very inactive compared to the general population. The aims of this study were to explore 1) whether the transition from a National Health Service (NHS)-run exercise programme into exercising in the community could be achieved successfully; and 2) the barriers and facilitators during the transition period.

Methods

This study adopted a complementary mixed-methods study design including a qualitative approach using focus groups and a prospective cohort study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the cohort study data. All variables were assessed for normality of distribution using the Sharpiro-Wilk test. Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests were undertaken for two consecutive assessment timepoints; one-way repeated measures ANOVAs or Friedman’s tests for three consecutive assessment timepoints. Micro-interlocutor analysis was used to analyse the focus group data. Areas of congruence and incongruence were explored by confirming the statistical results against the qualitative results. The adapted ecological model of the determinants of physical activity was then used as a framework to describe the findings.

Results

A successful transition was defined as still exercising in the community 6-months post discharge from the NHS-run Inflammatory Arthritis Exercise Programme. This was self-reported to be 90% of the cohort. An individual barrier to physical activity in people with an IJD was found to be the unpredictable nature of their condition. Other barriers and facilitators found were similar to those found in the general population such as recreation facilities, locations, transportation and cost. Other facilitators were similar to those found in people living with other chronic long-term conditions such as the importance of peer support.

Conclusions

90% of the cohort data were defined as a successful transition. People with an IJD have similar barriers and facilitators to exercise as the general population and those living with other chronic long-term conditions. A barrier which appears to be unique to this population group is that of the unpredictable nature of their condition which needs to be considered whenever tailoring any intervention.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05847-z.

Inflammatory Arthritis Facilitators and Barriers (IFAB) for physical activity questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation into Turkish and evaluation of its psychometric properties

PURPOSE

We aimed to conduct the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Inflammatory arthritis Facilitators and Barriers (IFAB) questionnaire into Turkish language for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and analyze the psychometric properties of the IFAB-Turkish version (IFAB-Tr).

METHODS

Data from ninety-three patients with axSpA were analyzed who completed the IFAB-Tr, Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, floor and ceiling effect, measurement error were examined. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

Small modification was needed in the translation and cultural adaptation process. Internal consistency of the IFAB-Tr total score was 0.71 and test-retest reliability was excellent for IFAB-Tr (ICC = 0.90). A moderate negative correlation was found between IFAB-Tr total score and HAQ, HADS, BASFI scores. No floor and ceiling effect was detected. Minimal detectable change was 10.34 points. EFA revealed two factors which accounted for 55% of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The IFAB was successfully translated into the Turkish language and seems suitable for evaluating barriers and facilitators for physical activity in rheumatic diseases and could be used in clinical settings before designing a physical activity intervention.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe Turkish version of the Inflammatory arthritis FAcilitators and Barriers (IFAB) is a valid and reliable tool to assess barriers and facilitators to physical activity for patients with axial spondyloarthritis.More work is needed to assess all psychometric properties of the IFAB questionnaire in other inflammatory rheumatic disorders.The Inflammatory arthritis FAcilitators and Barriers questionnaire in Turkish is an easy and quick way to determine potential barriers to physical activity in clinical and research settings.