title: The influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis-A constant balancing between ideality and reality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, and systemic disease with symptoms that limit activities and affect quality of life. RA is associated with an increased risk of developing comorbidities, some of which are also known to be associated with lifestyle habits such as physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. There has been an augmented focus on the implementation and maintenance of healthy lifestyle habits even for patients with RA in the past decade, but little is known about the link between patients' experiences of lifestyle habits and quality of life. The aim of the study was thus to describe and explore how patients with established RA experience the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study had a descriptive and explorative design, based on qualitative content analysis. Strategic sampling was used in order to achieve variations in experiences. Twenty-two patients with RA (14 women and 8 men) from 30 to 84 years old, with a disease duration ranging from 8 to 23 years, were interviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis of the influence of lifestyle habits on quality of life resulted in the theme balancing between ideality and reality. Three categories emerged about how lifestyle habits influenced quality of life by limitations (including insufficiency and adaptation), self-regulation (including guilt and motivation), and companionship (including belonging and pleasure).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of life for patients with established RA was influenced by the balance between ideality and reality in the lifestyle habits: physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol. This is important new knowledge for health professionals when discussing lifestyle habits with RA patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.|Spenshult Research and Development Center, Halmstad, Sweden.|Rheumatology, Capio Movement, Halmstad, Sweden; karina.malm@spenshult.se.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malm
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.|Spenshult Research and Development Center, Halmstad, Sweden.|School of Business, Engineering and Science, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bremander
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arvidsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.|Spenshult Research and Development Center, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria L E
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.|Spenshult Research and Development Center, Halmstad, Sweden.|School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.|Primary Health Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.affiliation: Spenshult Research and Development Center, Halmstad, Sweden.|School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Larsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004032:Diet; D004644:Emotions; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012907:Smoking
keywords: Lifestyle habits; qualitative content analysis; quality of life; rheumatoid arthritis