Frequency and Correlates of Physical Activity Among Young Adults With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain affects an estimated 8.5% of young adults in the United States. Physical activity is a promising strategy for behavioral pain management, yet research characterizing the prevalence and correlates of physical activity among young adults with chronic pain is scant. The present study sought to characterize physical activity patterns and identify psychosocial predictors of physical activity in this population.

Participants were 129 young adults with self-reported chronic pain. Fear-avoidance (experiential avoidance, kinesiophobia), mental health (depression, anxiety), and energy-related (sleep disturbance, fatigue) factors were examined as correlates and predictors of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), walking, and sedentary behavior using generalized linear models.

Participants reported an average of 51.0 (IQR=16.75, 100.75) minutes of MVPA and 90.0 (IQR=43, 153) minutes of walking per day. Nearly 3 quarters (72.9%) of participants met recommended MVPA guidelines. At baseline, experiential avoidance (95% CI [-0.019, -0.007]), depression (95% CI [-0.100, -0.017]), and fatigue (95% CI [-0.042, -0.007]) were negatively associated with MVPA; depression (95% CI [1.37, 13.71]) was positively associated with sedentary behavior. Experiential avoidance at baseline predicted MVPA at 2-week follow-up (95% CI [-0.015, -0.001]). No psychosocial factors were significantly associated with or predictive of walking.

On average, young adults with chronic pain in our sample met recommended physical activity guidelines. Experiential avoidance was associated with MVPA at baseline and predicted less MVPA 2 weeks later. Findings suggest that while pain itself may not prevent engagement in MVPA among this population, a desire to prevent discomfort may be prohibitive.