Pilot Study 3: Quality of Life and Chronic Pain in
People with Chronic Arthritis
The quality of life and chronic pain in people with chronic arthritis
study will utilize the behavioral and psychosocial techniques to investigate
pain threshold changes in older adults experiencing chronic pain related
to arthritis. Pharmacological treatments exist for the known autoimmune
aspects of the disease, but regardless of the treatment, most people
with arthritis continue to experience chronic pain. The known contribution
of lifestyle factors to the relief of pain suggests that lifestyle modifications
may have benefit. Furthermore, while it is known that as urbanization
decreases, the population of rural elderly increases, the combination
of residing in a very rural or very urban community as an older adult
often results in substantial health care risk, sometimes referred to
as double jeopardy. The consequences of double jeopardy may manifest
as health disparity as evidenced by higher rates of arthritis among
women, older persons, rural populations and those with lower education
or income. Therefore, it is important to understand how older adults
in very rural or very urban populations with arthritis might utilize
self-management strategies to cope with chronic pain resulting from
their conditions. It is hypothesized that knowledge and modification
of lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity will contribute
to useful non-pharmacological treatments that reduce the chronic pain
caused by arthritis. This study seeks to better understand the effects
of two common lifestyle behaviors (exercise and diet behavior from self
reports) on differences in perception of chronic pain among community
dwelling adults with arthritis, with particular attention paid to differences
reported by demographic, behavioral and environmental factors. Furthermore,
the pilot project will serve as a feasibility study for determining
the extent to which biomedical and behavioral science research can help
inform each other. (Karen Peters
DrPH, Principal Investigator)
