Tailored Interventions for Supporting Physical Activity Participation in People with Arthritis and Related Conditions: a Systematic Review

Purpose of Review To summarize both the research on and effects of physical activity tailoring in people with arthritis. Recent Findings Physical activity is an essential disease management strategy for people with arthritis. However, participation rates are low which may be due to generalized approaches to supporting physical activity behavior change. Tailored physical activity approaches involve the use of assessment to shape individualized intervention strategies to change physical activity. The effectiveness of tailored physical activity interventions in the general population is mixed, likely as a result of suboptimal tailoring methods, and the effectiveness in arthritis populations is unknown. Summary We identified 24 unique assessment factors and 23 intervention strategies used in tailored physical activity interventions for people with osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, or fibromyalgia. Health professionals should conduct comprehensive patient characteristics, physical, and psychosocial assessments to select the optimal physical activity prescription and strategies to deliver it. While more research is needed to refine methods for optimal tailoring of physical activity interventions for people with arthritis, health professionals should familiarize themselves with factors to consider for tailoring, collaborate with their patients on decisions about tailoring their physical activity, and adapt tailoring approaches as required over time to optimize physical activity participation.