Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Dec;6(4):272-81.
doi: 10.1177/1742395309351243. Epub 2010 Aug 9.

Increasing physical activity in patients with arthritis: a tailored health promotion program

Linda Ehrlich-Jones  1 , Trudy Mallinson, Heidi Fischer, Jillian Bateman, Pamela A Semanik, Bonnie Spring, Eric Ruderman, Rowland W Chang
Affiliations

Increasing physical activity in patients with arthritis: a tailored health promotion program

Linda Ehrlich-Jones et al. Chronic Illn. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: Despite recent studies showing the benefit of physical activity for people with arthritis, the vast majority of persons with arthritis are not sufficiently physically active. The purpose of this report is to describe a tailored health promotion intervention aimed at increasing physical activity among persons with arthritis. The intervention is designed to be useful for health systems and insurers interested in a chronic disease management program that could be disseminated to large populations of arthritis patients.

Methods: The intervention is carried out by a clinician who is designated as the client's physical activity advocate. The approach emphasizes motivational interviewing, individualized goal setting, tailored strategies for increasing physical activity and for monitoring progress, and a plan of 2 years of follow-up. The intervention includes a standardized assessment of barriers to and strengths supporting increased lifestyle physical activity. A randomized, controlled trial is underway to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of this intervention.

Conclusion: This intervention is unique in that it implements a program tailored to the individual that focuses on lifestyle physical activity and long-term monitoring. The approach recognizes that persons with arthritis present with varying levels of motivation for change in physical activity and that behavior change can take a long time to become habitual.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Physical Activity Behavior Framework
Figure 2
Figure 2. Arthritis Comprehensive Treatment Assessment (ACTA)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Minor MA. exercise and arthritis “we know a little bit about a lot of things… ”. Arthritis Rheum; 2002 Exercise and Physical Activity Conference; St Louis, Missouri. Feb 15 2003; pp. 1–2. - PubMed
    1. Hootman JM, Macera CA, Ham SA, Helmick CG, Sniezek JE. Physical activity levels among the general US adult population and in adults with and without arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Feb 15;49(1):129–135. - PubMed
    1. Fontaine KR, Heo M, Bathon J. Are US adults with arthritis meeting public health recommendations for physical activity? Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Feb;50(2):624–628. - PubMed
    1. Wee CC, McCarthy EP, Davis RB, Phillips RS. Physician counseling about exercise. JAMA. 1999 Oct 27;282(16):1583–1588. - PubMed
    1. Eckstrom E, Hickam DH, Lessler DS, Buchner DM. Changing physician practice of physical activity counseling. J Gen Intern Med. 1999 Jun;14(6):376–378. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types