Physical Changes among Adults Participating in the Fitness and Exercise for People with Arthritis (FEPA) Program

While physical activity is useful in improving function, maintaining joint health, and reducing the co-morbidities associated with inactivity in individuals with arthritis, the prevalence of regular exercisers among this population is lower than people without arthritis. This 2007 study examined the effects of a community-based exercise program on functional fitness and pain reduction in individuals with arthritis. Participants were 103 community-dwelling individuals with arthritis (Mean age=70.1 years, SD=11.7) who completed a 3-month instructor-led program of exercise classes. Classes focused on joint protection and integrated muscular and aerobic conditioning. Participants completed measures of physical function at baseline, post-program and 6-month follow-up. For the age-specific analyses the mean was used to create two age groups (70 years or older and younger than 70 years). All measures improved overall and in both age groups from baseline to the 6-month follow-up, although not all were statistically significant. Overall, increases were found post-program in aerobic conditioning (6-min walk, P<0.001), mobility (8-ft up and go, P<0.001) and pain reduction (P=0.044). At the 6-month follow-up aerobic (P<0.001) and mobility (P= 0.005) improvements were sustained by those less than 70 years of age but pain reduction (P=0.507) was not. However, for those older than 70 years improvements in mobility (P= 0.030) and pain reduction (P=0.038) were sustained but aerobic (P=0.093) improvement was not. Although not all changes observed were sustained at the 6-month follow-up, the overall and age-specific values remained higher than baseline suggesting the need for additional access to community programs for long term benefit.