Most people with rheumatoid arthritis undertake leisure-time physical activity in the Netherlands: an observational study.

QUESTION

What type of physical activity or exercise is undertaken by people with rheumatoid arthritis? What type of physical activity or exercise do they prefer? What is their attitude towards physical activity or exercise? What are the perceived barriers to undertaking physical activity or exercise?

DESIGN

Survey of a random sample of people with rheumatoid arthritis.

PARTICIPANTS

Four hundred people with rheumatoid arthritis in the Netherlands.

RESULTS

Of the 252 people who returned the questionnaire (63% response) 201 (80%) people participated in some type of physical activity or exercise. Significantly more inactive people were male, less educated, and older than the active people. Of the active people, 45 (22%) participated exclusively in supervised activities, 72 (36%) in unsupervised activities, and 84 people (42%) combined supervised and unsupervised activities. Cycling and walking were the two unsupervised activities people performed most often. Supervised group exercise and unsupervised individual physical activity were reported as the favourite activities. Further, more people preferred being physically active under expert supervision than without supervision and preferred water-based over land-based activities. The most frequently-mentioned barriers were lack of energy, presence of pain, lack of motivation, lack of information, and fear of joint damage.

CONCLUSION

The majority of people with rheumatoid arthritis participated in some physical activity or exercise, mostly under supervision. Preferences for types of activity varied, underpinning the need for a variety of options for people with rheumatoid arthritis.