Differences between participants and nonparticipants in an exercise trial for adults with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the generalizability of the results of a randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of long-term, high-intensity exercises in the rheumatoid arthritis patients in training (RAPIT) trial by comparing the characteristics of the participants with the nonparticipants.


METHODS
Participants and nonparticipants were mailed questionnaires on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, reasons not to participate, and attitudes toward intensive exercise.


RESULTS
The questionnaires from 892 (75%) nonparticipants and 299 (97%) participants were collected. The nonparticipants were slightly older, more often male, and had longer disease duration than the participants. The nonparticipants perceived their disease as more serious, used fewer disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, had a lower level of education, and a more negative attitude toward intensive exercise.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the RAPIT trial might not be generalizable to the entire target population. To promote participation in long-term, high-intensity exercises, health professionals should more actively discuss the potential benefits of exercise with their RA patients while taking into consideration specific factors related to participation.
de Jong
Z
Z
Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. z.de_jong@lumc.nl
Munneke
M
M
Jansen
L M
LM
Ronday
K
K
van Schaardenburg
D J
DJ
Brand
R
R
van den Ende
C H M
CH
Vliet Vlieland
T P M
TP
Zuijderduin
W M
WM
Hazes
J M W
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D001290:Attitude; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D018579:Patient Selection; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires