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Physical activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study of 203 patients

  • Observational Research
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Abstract

Physical activity is recommended in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) but may be insufficiently performed. The objective of this study was to assess physical activity in axial spondyloarthritis and to explore its explanatory factors. This was a cross-sectional study of patients with definite axSpA. The level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long form, IPAQ-L), type of aerobic exercise and the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Score were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explain levels of exercise at least as recommended by the World Health Organization. In all, 203 patients were included: mean age 46.0 ± 11.6 years, 108 (53.2 %) males, mean Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Activity Index (0–100) 37.8 ± 19.9; 137 (68.8 %) were treated with TNF-inhibitors. In all, 111 patients (54.7 %) were exercising at least as recommended; 96 (47.2 %) were in the ‘high physical activity’ category. Aerobic exercise >30 min was performed at least once a week by 61 (30.0 %) patients; the most frequent activities were energetic walking (31.0 %) and swimming (21.2 %). Main perceived benefits of exercising were improving physical fitness and functioning of the cardiovascular system, and the main barrier was physical exertion. Patients with paid employment had lower levels of physical activity whereas other demographic variables, disease activity/severity or TNF-inhibitor treatment were not predictive. One half of these patients performed enough physical activity according to the recommendations, similarly to the French population. Levels of physical activity did not appear to be explained by disease-related variables. Physical activity should be encouraged in axSpA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Pierre Louis d’Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, GRC-UPMC 08 (EEMOIS); AP-HP, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Rheumatology Department, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Paris, France

    Stéphanie Fabre, Sabrina Dadoun, Christopher Rein, Sarah Kreis, Bruno Fautrel & Laure Gossec

  2. Rheumatology Department, René Dubos Hospital, Pontoise, France

    Stéphanie Fabre & Edouard Pertuiset

  3. Rheumatology Department, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP. Inserm U1153: Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, PRES Sorbonne, Paris Descartes University, Paris-Cité, France

    Anna Molto

  4. Office-based Practice, Paris, France

    Christophe Hudry

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  1. Stéphanie Fabre
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  2. Anna Molto
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  4. Christopher Rein
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Correspondence to Stéphanie Fabre.

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None of the authors has any conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The guarantors who accept full responsibility for the work and/or the conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish are for this paper, Stephanie Fabre and Laure Gossec.

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Fabre, S., Molto, A., Dadoun, S. et al. Physical activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study of 203 patients. Rheumatol Int 36, 1711–1718 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-016-3565-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-016-3565-5

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