Physical Activity. The Arthritis Pain Reliever

“Physical Activity. The Arthritis Pain Reliever” is a health communications campaign for general use by state health departments, their partners, and other community organizations.

The campaign was developed to promote physical activity as a method of arthritis self-management and is based on extensive audience research. Physical activity can have an important impact and beneficial effect on arthritis pain and associated disability.

The campaign is designed to achieve the following goals:

• Raise awareness of physical activity as a way to manage arthritis pain and increase function
• Increase understanding of how to use physical activity (types and duration) to ease arthritis symptoms and prevent further disability
• Enhance the confidence of persons with arthritis that they can be physically active
• Increase trial of physical activity behaviors

The target audience for the campaign includes men and women with arthritis, physician-diagnosed or self-diagnosed, who have the following characteristics:

• African American or Caucasian
• Ages 45 to 64 years (see below for over age 65)
• High school education or less
• Income less than $35,000 a year
• Arthritis that has begun to or threatens to have negative impact on valued life roles

In order to expand the target audience for this campaign additional materials were developed and tested to target people over the age of 65. Senior-friendly print ads are available to reach this age group.