J Korean Acad Fundam Nurs.
2001 Aug;8(2):210-219.
Effects of the Ground Exercise for Arthritis Program(GEAP) on Pain, Fatigue, Self-esteem, Perceived Health Status and Self-efficacy in Patients with Chronic Arthritis
- Affiliations
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- 1College of Nursing, The Catholic University of Korea, Korea.
- 2Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Korea.
Abstract
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PURPOSE: To examine the effects of the GEAP on pain, fatigue, self-esteem, perceived health status and self-efficacy in patients with chronic arthritis.
METHODS
One group pre- & post-test design was used. Outcome domains included pain, number of painful joints, fatigue, self-esteem, perceived health status and self-efficacy. Thirty-four patients were recruited over four times from a rheumatic clinic affiliated to a university medical center in Seoul, Korea. The GEAP is an exercise program modified by the investigators from PACE program which developed by Arthritis Foundation. The program duration is about 60 minutes, three times a week for 6 weeks. Participants were predominantly women (68%); on average 57.3 years old; and diagnossed with RA (58.8), osteoarthritis (29.4) or other (11.8).
RESULTS
After completing the GEAP, subjects showed significant improvement in pain (p=0.02), number of painful joints (p=0.04), fatigue (p=0.0001), and perceived health status (p=0.006). There were no improvements in self-esteem and self-efficacy score for adults with chronic rheumatic diseases.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that the GEAP is an effective exercise intervention for improving outcomes for patients with chronic arthritis. More sample and research are needed to 1) accurately evaluate on self-esteem and self-efficacy; 2) understand and improve adherence. And also a longer follow up period is recommended to evaluate long-term effects of the PACE program.