Less Exercise and More Drugs: How a Low-Income Population Manages Chronic Pain.
To evaluate chronic pain management in a multistate, low-income Hispanic population, and to examine predictors of exercising and prescription pain medication (PPM) use.



Online survey administered to a representative sample of Hispanic adults in June 2015.



Five southwestern states.



Among all online panel members who were Hispanic (N=1007), aged 35 to 75 years from 5 states, representing 11,016,135 persons, the survey was completed by 516 members (51%). Among these, 102 participants were identified with chronic noncancer pain representing 1,140,170 persons.



Not applicable.



Exercising or using PPM for chronic pain in past year.



Most participants reported using PPM (58%) and exercise (54%) to manage pain. Compared with annual household incomes >$75,000, adjusted odds ratios [AORs] for exercising were .20 for <$10,000 (P=.12); .40 for $10,000 to $34,999 (P=.22); and .15 for $35,000 to $74,999 (P=.015). Conversely, AORs for PPM were over 4-fold higher for lower-income groups as follows: 14.2, 4.79, and 4.85, respectively (all P<.065). PPM users rated the importance of accessing a gym to manage pain lower (P=.01), while exercisers rated the feasibility of gym access to manage pain higher (P=.001).



In a Hispanic population-based sample with chronic pain, lower-income groups tended to exercise less but use PPM more. Barriers to gym access and use may play a role in these disparities.
Department of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; Center for Research to Advance Community Health, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX. Electronic address: turner@uthscsa.edu.
Barbara J
BJ
Turner
Center for Research to Advance Community Health, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Natalia
N
Rodriguez
Center for Research to Advance Community Health, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, University of Texas School of Public Health in San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Melissa A
MA
Valerio
Center for Research to Advance Community Health, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Yuanyuan
Y
Liang
Center for Research to Advance Community Health, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX; South Central Area Health Education Center, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Paula
P
Winkler
GfK Custom Research LLC, Sunnyvale, CA.
Lisa
L
Jackson
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015206:Southwestern United States
D000700:Analgesics; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D055553:Prescription Drugs
Chronic pain; Drug therapy; Exercise; Hispanic Americans; Income; Rehabilitation