Investigation of the psychometric properties of "exercise Benefits/Barriers scale" in Turkish patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease accompanied by several symptoms and functional disabilities. Physical activity (PA) is crucial for disease management and patients' perception of exercise is essential for a rehabilitation plan.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) that is frequently used in previous studies in the RA population.

Methods: We included a total of 104 patients in our study. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,k). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Bristol Rheumatoid Arthritis Fatigue Scale (BRAFS) were used for the convergent validity of the scale. For discriminant validity analysis, the total barriers and benefits scores were examined according to exercise status (yes/no), PA level (high/low), and fatigue severity (high/low). Additionally, standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change with 95% confidence (MDC₉₅) are calculated.

Results: EBBS subscores showed moderate to excellent reliability (ICC: 0.71 to 0.98) and correlated PA (r = 0.453 and 0.515, EBBS-barriers and benefits subscores, respectively) and fatigue (r=-0.261 and -0.393, EBBS-barriers and benefits subscores, respectively). The SEM and MDC₉₅ values were calculated as 2.03 and 7.96 for EBBS-benefits subscores and 0.93 and 3.65 for EBBS-barriers subscores. The EBBS-Benefits and Barriers subscores differed according to exercise status (p = .08), PA level (p < .01), and fatigue (p = .08).

Conclusion: The results highlighted that the EBBS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess exercise benefits and barriers in patients with RA.