title: Different level, but a similar day pattern of physical activity in workers and sick-listed people with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether physical activity (PA) levels and day patterns of sick-listed workers with chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain (CMP) admitted for multidisciplinary rehabilitation are different from those of workers with CMP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatient rehabilitation center and general community.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of sick-listed patients with CMP (n=27) referred for multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation, and a volunteer sample of workers with CMP (n=107; <5% sick leave in year before participation).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants wore an accelerometer for 5 to 7 consecutive days.
  
  
  METHODS
  PA, expressed as activity counts. All analyses were corrected for confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PA levels of workers with CMP were higher than those of sick-listed patients (P=.01). After correction for confounders, work status explained 3.5% of the variance observed in activity counts (F(change)=5.27, P=.024). In the mornings, group status significantly contributed to the variance in mean activity counts (F(change)=5.32, P=.02). In afternoons (F(change)=3.29, P=.07) and evenings (F(change)=2.41, P=.12), the effect of group status on PA level was nonsignificant. No significant interaction was observed between time and group status (Wilks' λ=.92, F(14,104)=.66, P=.80).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Workers with CMP have a higher PA level compared with sick-listed patients. The PA day pattern did not differ significantly between the 2 groups.
authors.affiliation: Center for Rehabilitation and Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. m.f.reneman@cvr.umcg.nl
authors.forename: Michiel F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reneman
authors.forename: Haitze J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: Erik J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: van den Hengel
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brouwer
authors.forename: Luc H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: van der Woude
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009426:Netherlands; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018582:Sick Leave; D016896:Treatment Outcome