title: Physical activity among patients from the Brasília cohort of early rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The 2012 Consensus of the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology (SBR) for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) recommends that patients should regularly perform physical exercises. There have been no studies in Brazil on physical activity among patients with early RA.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the physical activity practice among patients with early RA and the possible association between physical activity, disease activity and functional disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of patients from the Brasilia cohort of early RA. Demographic data (sex, age and level of schooling), physical activity practice, Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS 28), functional disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire - HAQ), as well as data on smoking status, alcohol consumption, comorbidities and RA treatment were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 72 patients were evaluated, 90.27% females, mean age 50.2 ± 13.3 years, mean DAS 28: 3.66 and HAQ: 0.69. Of them, 43.05% were regularly active, with walking being the most often practiced exercise (80.64%). The mean duration of exercise was 48.22 ± 27.18 min, with a frequency of 3.7 ± 1.64 times per week. There was no association between physical activity and gender, age, educational level, disease activity, functional disability, alcoholism or smoking, presence of comorbidities and treatment with drugs that alter the course of disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the importance of regular physical activity practice, it is necessary to recommend it to patients, especially resistance physical activities, which are not frequent among the patients in our study.
authors: Carolina Rocha
authors: CR
authors: Silva
authors: Thaís Ferreira
authors: TF
authors: Costa
authors: Tatiane Teixeira Vaz
authors: TT
authors: de Oliveira
authors: Luciana Feitosa
authors: LF
authors: Muniz
authors: Licia Maria Henrique
authors: LM
authors: da Mota
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires