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Fear-avoidance beliefs about physical activity common to certain patients with RA
Certain patients with rheumatoid arthritis had high fear-avoidance beliefs related to physical activity, according to researchers from the Karolinska Institute.
The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of 2,351 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as part of the Physical Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis (PARA) 2010 study in Sweden. Among the patients, 73.26% were women, and 72.62% were older than 55 years of age. Additionally, about half (53.25%) had below-average income.
Patients completed a modified version of the Fear Avoidance-Belief Questionnaire (FABQ) which contained four items related to beliefs about physical activity that caused pain and injury rated on a scale of zero to six. The Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) was used to assess barriers to exercise based on a six-point rating scale, and general health perception, pain and fatigue were each rated separately on a 100-mm VAS. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was evaluated with the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D).
Patients with higher FABQ scores were more likely to be older and male, have lower levels of education and income, have increased comorbidities and symptoms, have poorer HRQoL and report lower scores on the ESES. Male sex and income below average were associated with an increased risk for a high FABQ score following stepwise logistic regression, according to the researchers.
High levels of pain and poor health were disease-related factors associated with a high FABQ score, and low HRQoL and low ESES scores were predictive of higher scores on the FABQ. High or low fear-avoidance was correctly classified in 60.6% of participants, according to the researchers. - by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.