Osteoarthritis patients who feel more confident in their abilities in the morning are more physically active over the course of the day, new research suggests.
The findings suggest that self-efficacy—one’s confidence in their ability to do something—influences physical activity independent from other such factors as pain, mood, and support from others.
It’s all about what you think you’re able to do. The researchers say the study could give insight into how to better design physical activity interventions.
Ruixue Zhaoyang, a postdoctoral fellow in Penn State’s Center for Healthy Aging and lead author of the paper, says that although earlier research has found physical activity to be one of the best ways to reduce and manage symptoms of osteoarthritis, pain often prevents patients from being as physically active as they should be. As a result, stiffness and deterioration in muscle strength tend to worsen….