Investigating the Pain Severity and Frequent Exercise Relationship in United States Adults Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Author(s)
David R. Axon, MS, PhD;
University of Arizona, Associate Professor, Tucson, AZ, USA
University of Arizona, Associate Professor, Tucson, AZ, USA
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: Pain affects 20% of United States (US) adults, while <50% of US adults do frequent exercise. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between pain severity and frequent exercise among US adults.
METHODS: This cross-sectional database study included US adults aged ≥18 in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The independent variable was pain severity (extreme, quite a bit, moderate, little pain), and the dependent variable was frequent exercise (yes, no). Differences in demographic characteristics between groups were compared using chi-squared tests. The relationship between pain severity and frequent exercise was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for demographic, economic, limitation, and health variables. The complex survey design was maintained and weighted estimates were produced. Alpha=0.05 was selected a priori.
RESULTS: In the fully adjusted model, extreme pain vs. none (Adjusted Odds Ratio [OR]=0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.2-0.7), quite a bit of pain vs. none (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.5-0.9), Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.6-0.9), having a functional limitation vs. no limitation (OR=0.6, 95% CI=0.5-0.7), and being overweight/obese vs. not being obese/overweight (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.6-0.8) were associated with lower odds of reporting doing frequent exercise. Meanwhile, being ≥65 (OR=1.3 95% CI=1.1-1.6) or 40-64 (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.1-1.4) vs. 18-39 years of age, male vs. female (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.2-1.5), white vs. not white race (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.3-1.8), private (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.6) or public (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.8) vs. no health coverage, and good vs. poor general health (OR=1.6, 95% CI=1.3-2.0) were associated with greater odds of reporting doing frequent exercise.
CONCLUSIONS: US adults who experience extreme or quite bit of pain had lower odds of reporting doing frequent exercise compared to those with no pain. Other demographic, economic, limitation, and health variables were also associated with frequent exercise and should be considered when counselling patients with pain on exercise.
METHODS: This cross-sectional database study included US adults aged ≥18 in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The independent variable was pain severity (extreme, quite a bit, moderate, little pain), and the dependent variable was frequent exercise (yes, no). Differences in demographic characteristics between groups were compared using chi-squared tests. The relationship between pain severity and frequent exercise was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for demographic, economic, limitation, and health variables. The complex survey design was maintained and weighted estimates were produced. Alpha=0.05 was selected a priori.
RESULTS: In the fully adjusted model, extreme pain vs. none (Adjusted Odds Ratio [OR]=0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.2-0.7), quite a bit of pain vs. none (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.5-0.9), Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.6-0.9), having a functional limitation vs. no limitation (OR=0.6, 95% CI=0.5-0.7), and being overweight/obese vs. not being obese/overweight (OR=0.7, 95% CI=0.6-0.8) were associated with lower odds of reporting doing frequent exercise. Meanwhile, being ≥65 (OR=1.3 95% CI=1.1-1.6) or 40-64 (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.1-1.4) vs. 18-39 years of age, male vs. female (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.2-1.5), white vs. not white race (OR=1.5, 95% CI=1.3-1.8), private (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.6) or public (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.8) vs. no health coverage, and good vs. poor general health (OR=1.6, 95% CI=1.3-2.0) were associated with greater odds of reporting doing frequent exercise.
CONCLUSIONS: US adults who experience extreme or quite bit of pain had lower odds of reporting doing frequent exercise compared to those with no pain. Other demographic, economic, limitation, and health variables were also associated with frequent exercise and should be considered when counselling patients with pain on exercise.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-05, ISPOR 2025, Montréal, Quebec, CA
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S1
Code
EPH10
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Disease
SDC: Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)