Page 14 - MRS Abstracts March 2023

Moving more with Axial Spondyloarthritis: a short survey to help design future exercise studies
Matthew Roberts, University of Loughborough
Introduction:
Axial Spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) is an inflammatory arthritis affecting 0.5-1.0% of people in the UK. Physical activity guidance for people living with AxSpA from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is vague. Individualised, structured aerobic exercise is recommended without any direction towards exercise type, frequency, intensity, or acknowledgement of physical limitations to an individual’s environment which may prevent exercise participation.
Consequently, the proportion of people with AxSpA meeting the World Health Organisation physical activity recommendations (>150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week) is significantly lower than the general population. Therefore, a short survey was administered to people with AxSpA to understand types of physical activities they would like to participate in, and any common barriers to exercise participation.
Methods:
The National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) invited subscribers to their e-newsletter with lived experience to complete a short online survey. Respondents were asked ‘which of the following activities would you like to include as part of your usual lifestyle?’ ‘What would prevent you from taking part in the activities above?’ and ‘Do you already include any of the physical activities in your usual lifestyle?’ Respondents were allowed to choose multiple options from a range of activities and barriers.
Results:
266 people living with AxSpA (68% women, 31% men, 1% non-binary, 94% white British/Irish) responded. Walking was most selected for activities respondents would like to be included as part of their lifestyle (83%), followed by stretching/flexibility exercises (61%), swimming (46%), weight training and resistance exercise (41%), and cycling (33%). Only 8 respondents (3%) stated hydrotherapy which is traditionally advocated as exercise therapy in AxSpA. Worries about pain and