Background. Fibromyalgia is associated with a debilitated physical function, which limits activities of daily living. Active commuting might be a way of increasing physical activity levels. Understanding potential social-economic factors associated to active commuting are necessary to promote strategies aiming at increasing physical activity behaviours.
Objective. The aims were: to compare the patterns of commuting between fibromyalgia women and healthy women; and to examine the associations between active commuting and socioeconomic factors in fibromyalgia women.
Method. This cross-sectional study included a total of 459 women satisfying the 1990 American College of Rheumatology criteria and 214 healthy women from Andalusia. Active commuting to local shops, supermarket, local facilities and work/study place were assessed by mode of commuting questionnaire. Active commuter and active worker commuter dichotomous variables were created. Civil status, accompaniment at home, living with, educational level, current occupational status and professional status were assessed by socioeconomic factors questionnaire. Differences between fibromyalgia and healthy women on the patterns of commuting were performed using the Chi-square test. Associations between active commuting and social-economic factors were performed using binary logistic regression.
Results. No differences in the percentage of active commuters were observed between fibromyalgia and control women (69 vs. 73%). The percentage of active workers commuters did not vary between the fibromyalgia and control groups (71 vs. 67%). Differences in the percentage of active commuting to supermarket were observed between fibromyalgia and controls (46 vs. 56%, p = 0.020, respectively). Those fibromyalgia women who lived alone were more actively commute than those who lived accompanied (OR: 4.7, 95%CI: 1.4-15.6, p = 0.013) and those who lived with both partner and children, only partner and or children (ORs: 4.3, 95%CI: 1.3-14.7, p = 0.020).
Conclusion. Fibromyalgia and control women showed a similar pattern of active commuting behaviours. Additionally, fibromyalgia patients without family demands were more active commuters than control women.
Autor para correspondencia. mhc@ugr.es
