Completed Projects PACE Evaluation Missouri

Evaluation of PACE® (People with Arthritis Can Exercise)

Funding Number

Minor (Missouri) project MM-0507

Project Description

Self-management is very important in chronic diseases, and promoting physical activity is a key public health strategy for arthritis management. Although several exercise programs such as People with Arthritis Can Exercise® (PACE) have been created to implement this strategy, none have sufficient scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness to promote the programs through public health avenues.

The primary goal of this project is to assess the effectiveness of PACE® (People with Arthritis Can Exercise), a community-based, group recreational exercise program, on key arthritis-related health outcomes such as pain, function and physical activity level. A secondary goal is to conduct qualitative research among PACE completers and non-completers to determine motivators and barriers to success, as well as to determine the acceptability and suitability of the program.

Project Objectives

• Conduct a randomized and controlled study of PACE® programs.
• Assemble focus groups of PACE® leaders and participants to discuss barriers and facilitators to program participation.
• Make recommendations regarding the benefits of PACE®.

Abstracts, Publications, Presentations

Minor M, Hewett J, Nigh M, Ross P, Prost E. Evaluation of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program: Report from a randomized control trial. Presented at the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston MA, November 2007.

Principal Investigator

Marian Minor, Ph.D., P.T. (funded for 3 years)
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
minorm@missouri.edu

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