ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 277

Efficacy of a Counselling Program to Promote Physical Activity in People with Inflammatory Arthritis

Linda Li1, Hui Xie 2, Na Lu 3, Chris Shaw 4, Diane Gromala 4, Catherine L. Backman 5, Johnathan Tam 6, Noonan Gregory 7, Alison Hoens 1, Anne Townsend 8 and Lynne Feehan 1, 1University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2Arthritis Research Canada and Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 3Arthritis Research Canada, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 4Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC, Canada, 5University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 6Arthritis Research Canada, Richmond, BC, Canada, 7Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 8Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom

Meeting: ACR/ARP Annual Meeting 2019

Keywords: , , ,

Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 10, 2019

Title: Health Services Research Poster I – ACR/ARP

Session Type: Poster Session (Sunday)

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Being physically active is key to successful management in people with inflammatory arthritis (IA). This study aimed to assess efficacy of a physical activity counselling program, with the use of a Fitbit® and FitViz (a personalized Fitbit-compatible web-based app), for promoting physical activity and improving health outcomes in people with IA.

Methods: Eligible participants had physician-confirmed diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE). After baseline assessment (T0) and stratified randomization by diagnosis, the Intervention Group (IG) received standardized education, a Fitbit, access to FitViz, and phone calls from a physical therapist (PT) every 2 weeks to counsel activity goals over an 8-week period. The Control Group (CG) received a monthly e-newsletter from the research team. Participants were assessed again at the end of 8 weeks (T1). The primary outcome was time in daily moderate/vigorous physical activity at >3 METS and in bouts of >10 mins (3+ MVPA) measured with a SenseWear® monitor. Secondary outcomes were: 1) daily step count, 2) MVPA at >4 METS and in bouts of >10 mins (4+ MVPA, reflects purposeful activities), 3) time in sedentary activity in bouts of >20 mins, 4) pain (McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form), 5) fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale), and 6) self-management capacity (Partners in Health Scale). We used Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to assess the effect of the intervention on outcome measures at T1 after adjusting for T0. Post-hoc subgroup analysis was done to explore the effect of diagnosis on outcomes.

Results: We recruited 118 participants (IG: n=59, 86.4% women; CG: n=59, 91.5% women); of those, 83 had RA (IG: n=42, 71.2%; CG: n=41, 69.5%). Both groups were similar in age [IG: 53.5 (SD 14.7) years; CG: 53.1 (SD 12.6) years] and body mass index [IG: 27.1 (SD 6.5); CG: 28.7 (SD 8.9)].

The adjusted mean difference in 3+ MVPA was 9.4 mins (95% CI: -0.5, 19.3, p=0.06). A significant effect was found in pain [-0.16 (95% CI: -0.32, -0.01, p=0.04)]. The remaining secondary outcomes improved, but not statistically significant — step count: 644.1 (95% CI: -103.8, 1,392.0, p=0.09); 4+ MVPA: 0.5 mins (95%CI: -4.6, 5.6, p=0.85); sedentary time: -10.4 mins (95% CI: -53.4, 32.6, p=0.63); fatigue: -0.31 (95% CI: -0.63, 0.00, p=0.05); self-management capacity: 0.13 (95% CI: -0.09, 0.35, p=0.23). Post-hoc analysis revealed a significant effect in 3+ MVPA (13.1; 95% CI: 1.9, 24.3) and pain (-0.25; 95% CI: -0.4, -0.08) in participants with RA, but not those with SLE.

Conclusion: Counselling by a PT has potential to improve physical activity behaviour in people with IA, but further study is needed to understand the intervention effect on different diagnosis. We found a significant improvement in pain, suggesting the intervention might have a positive effect on symptom management.

Disclosure: L. Li, None; H. Xie, None; N. Lu, None; C. Shaw, None; D. Gromala, None; C. Backman, None; J. Tam, None; N. Gregory, None; A. Hoens, None; A. Townsend, None; L. Feehan, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Li L, Xie H, Lu N, Shaw C, Gromala D, Backman C, Tam J, Gregory N, Hoens A, Townsend A, Feehan L. Efficacy of a Counselling Program to Promote Physical Activity in People with Inflammatory Arthritis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019; 71 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/efficacy-of-a-counselling-program-to-promote-physical-activity-in-people-with-inflammatory-arthritis/. Accessed .

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