Abstract
Introduction: Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk for cardiometabolic disease. By improving traditional markers of cardiometabolic health, interventions that induce weight loss and increase physical activity may also reduce RA-related cardiometabolic disease risk. However, to achieve these health benefits, an individual must adhere to such interventions. To understand whether sustained behavioral modification is feasible for individuals with RA, assessing adherence to prescribed intervention components is needed. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that adherence to a daily step goal would be greater than adherence to more intensive intervention components. Methods: Older adults with RA and overweight/obesity (n = 20) were randomized and completed 16 weeks of “usual care” Counseling Health as Treatment (CHAT) or remotely Supervised Weight loss and Exercise Training (SWET). The SWET program consisted of caloric restriction (7% weight loss goal), aerobic training (AT; 150 minutes/week), and resistance training (RT; twice weekly). Both groups were given a daily goal of 6,000 steps. Pearson correlation analyses assessed for a relationship between baseline measures and average daily step count. Results: Participants were on average 66.7 ± 5.4 years old, Caucasian (65.0%), men (80.0%), with obesity (body mass index: 32.4 ± 2.9 kg/m 2 ). For SWET and CHAT, respectively, average daily step adherence was 117.8% (7065.6 ± 2117.0 steps/day) and 118.2% (7093.4 ± 2965.4 steps/day) (Figure 1A). Average adherence to SWET-only components was 84.0 ± 0.5% for AT, 83.0 ± 0.2% for RT, and 93.9 ± 0.1% for weigh-ins (Figure 1B). Step count adherence was unrelated to baseline measures. Conclusions: Step count adherence 1) was similar in both groups despite the intervention delivery strategy, and 2) exceeded other more intensive SWET intervention components (i.e., AT and RT). Findings highlight step counts as an achievable and sustainable RA exercise goal.
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