Background/Purpose: It is imperative that adults with arthritis and other chronic conditions are active enough to maintain health. Enhance®Fitness (EF) is an evidence-based physical activity intervention for older adults. Although EF has been nationally disseminated, its impact specifically in adults with arthritis, across the adult age spectrum, has not been evaluated. We conducted a community-based, non-randomized, wait-list controlled effectiveness trial of 12 weeks of EF in 4 urban and 5 rural West Virginia (WV) counties. This study determined if EF reached those in need, and how representative participants were of other adults with arthritis. We expected to reach at least 82% of eligible respondents.

Methods: Eligible participants were sedentary/low-active adults, aged 18 years or older, with self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis. We documented the number of people who were screened for eligibility, deemed eligible, and enrolled. Reach was the number of enrolled participants divided by the number of eligible participants, multiplied by 100. Baseline data on sociodemographics, chronic conditions, obesity, arthritis-attributable activity and work limitations, disability (1. activities limited by physical, mental, or emotional problems; 2. needed special equipment), and falls in the past 3 months were used to determine representativeness. Descriptive statistics were calculated and compared with WV and US general population data, and data from other EF studies.

Results: We screened 672 people of which 437 (65%) were eligible. Of 437 eligible participants, 323 (74%) enrolled and 114 (26%) declined. Reach was 74% (323 enrolled of 437 eligible). Non-enrollees were significantly younger than enrollees (p< 0.01) and more likely to be from rural versus urban areas (p< 0.01). Participants had a mean ± SD age of 68.3 ± 10.6 years (range 27-95) and were primarily white (94.6%), non-Hispanic (99%), and women (86.1%). Participants had high rates of diabetes (24.2%), hypertension (63.1%), obesity (56.2%), arthritis-attributable activity (75.7%) and work (50.0%) limitations, disability (1. activities limited 38.2%, 2. needed special equipment 19.7%), and recent falls (21.4%). Participants were representative of WV and US adults with arthritis on age. Participants were mostly non-Hispanic whites and representative of WV but not of the US or other EF studies. Participants had higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and arthritis-attributable activity limitations than other WV or US populations with arthritis. Compared with other EF studies, participants had a higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, disability, and falls.

Conclusion: Although the study reach was good, it was lower than expected. Perhaps, offering evening and weekend classes could have improved reach into the younger adult population. Overall, participants were less diverse, with a higher prevalence of chronic conditions, arthritis-attributable activity limitations, disability, and falls than other arthritis populations and EF study participants. Thus, this study reached adults with arthritis in need of a physical activity intervention in the state with the highest US prevalence of arthritis.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/reach-and-representativeness-of-participants-in-an-evidence-based-community-delivered-physical-activity-intervention-in-adults-with-arthritis/