Physical activity in people living with rheumatoid arthritis compared to general population controls

The health benefits of regular physical activity have been well established. The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (CPAG) specify that adults should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) per week. Our study objectives were to: 1) determine the proportion of RA patients in British Columbia (BC) who meet the CPAG, 2) identify the determinants of meeting the recommendations, and 3) compare the duration of time spent in MVPA relative to general population controls using self-reported data. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 2015 data from an annual survey administered to an RA cohort in BC. Normative physical activity data was obtained from the Canadian Community Health Survey. Adjusting for age and sex, the proportion of RA patients who met the guidelines was compared to the general population. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify significant determinants of meeting these guidelines and an ordinary least squares (OLS) model evaluated differences in average MVPA time. A two-part model evaluated the overall amount of MVPA performed by both the RA sample and the general population. After standardization, the sample of 169 RA patients was 21% less likely to meet the CPAG than controls (p=0.028). Individuals who were Caucasian (p=0.019), had better physical function (p=0.003), were an ex-smoker (p=0.022), and had more pain (p=0.018) were more likely to meet guidelines. Although, overall, RA patients spent significantly (p