A Comparison of Pain, Pain Interference and Fatigue according to the Level of Physical Activity in the Elderly with Chronic Pain

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate differences in pain, pain interference, and fatigue, according to the level of physical activity in the elderly with chronic pain. METHODS: Data were collected between January and March 2011 from 116 elders with chronic pain living in community settings. The data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 17.0 program for descriptive statistics, 2 test, t-test, ANOVA and ANCOVA. The reliability of the instruments was tested with Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which ranged from .91 to .93. RESULTS: The results were as follows. The mean total physical activity was 2287.4 MET-min/week, and 41.4% of the investigated subjects were classified into the low physical activity group. After adjusting for age and sex, the moderate and high physical activity groups were significantly lower in pain (F=6.33, p=.002), pain interference (F=11.57, p<.001), and fatigue (F=3.16, p=.046) than the low physical activity group. CONCLUSION: Results from this study suggest that the level of physical activity can influence pain, pain interference and fatigue. Therefore, incorporating more physical activities into daily routines, inactive elderly individuals may improve their pain, pain interference and fatigue.