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Activity-induced pain as a predictor of physical activity behavior among individuals with chronic pain: the role of physical activity enjoyment

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Abstract

Nearly 70% of adults with chronic pain experience increased pain during activity, and this may reduce enjoyment of physical activity (PA), and subsequent PA intention/behavior. The goal of this study was to examine increased pain during activity as a predictor of PA, via its effects on PA enjoyment. Participants included 178 overweight/obese midlife adults with chronic pain who completed an online prospective survey. Results indicated that greater increases in pain during activity were associated with less PA enjoyment, and, in turn, lower intention to exercise over the next week (p < 0.05). Activity-induced pain also predicted lower total volume of PA at 1-week follow-up, and this relationship was mediated by PA enjoyment (p < 0.05). These findings have the potential to inform the refinement of PA promotion interventions for individuals with chronic pain.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Code for data cleaning and analysis is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by a Brown University Predoctoral Seed Money Research Grant and a Grant from the National Institute on Aging (F32AG074680) awarded to Lisa R. LaRowe.

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  1. Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Lisa R. LaRowe & David M. Williams

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Conceptualization: LRL; methodology and investigation: LRL; formal analysis: LRL; writing–original draft: LRL; writing—review & editing: DMW; supervision: DMW.

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Correspondence to Lisa R. LaRowe.

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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. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Brown University (Protocol #2010002833).

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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. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Brown University (Protocol #2010002833).

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LaRowe, L.R., Williams, D.M. Activity-induced pain as a predictor of physical activity behavior among individuals with chronic pain: the role of physical activity enjoyment. J Behav Med 45, 632–642 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-022-00318-1

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