Activity May Lessen Arthritis Disability

Posted: May 1, 2005

A sedentary lifestyle in older adults with arthritis, particularly women and minorities, is associated with declining ability to perform basic functional tasks of daily living, a Northwestern University study has found.

Dorothy Dunlop and colleagues from Feinberg School of Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago described the findings of their study of over 5,700 women and men aged 65 and older with arthritis in an article published in the April 2005 issue of the journal “Arthritis & Rheumatism.”

The researchers found that lack of regular vigorous physical activity almost doubled an arthritis patient’s odds for functional decline and eventual disability in basic daily tasks essential to maintaining independence.

Study data showed that, over the course of two years, nearly 14 percent of the study participants experienced a measurable decline in their ability to carry out higher-level daily activities, such as preparing hot meals, shopping for groceries, making telephone calls, taking medications and managing money, as well as such basic tasks as walking across a room, dressing, bathing, eating, using the toilet and transferring from a bed.

The researchers assessed various risk factors, including age, education, income level and the toll of other adverse health conditions in this group, and also took note of potentially unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol use, extreme weight gain or loss and sedentary lifestyle.

Sedentary lifestyle was the most prevalent risk factor, reported by over 64 percent of the study participants.

Women & minorities
Functional ability deteriorated more frequently among women (15 percent) than men (11 percent) and substantially more frequently among minorities (18 percent Hispanics and close to 19 percent African Americans) than Caucasians (around 13 percent).

The high rates of functional decline among older women and ethnic minorities with arthritis were attributed to the burden of added ailments, particularly diabetes, stroke, vision loss, depression and cognitive impairment. No alcohol use (moderate drinking was found to have a protective effect) also was a risk factor.

Nearly 60 percent of Americans aged 65 and old suffer with some form of this joint disease. By 2010, arthritis is projected to afflict almost 40 million Americans over age 65, potentially escalating the ranks of senior citizens with disabilities that can jeopardize independent living.

This study was supported in part by funding the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases and the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research.

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