Work-related moderate-intensity daily activity minutes are reduced in U.S. adults with arthritis: A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2017–2018 data

Background Many U.S. adults with arthritis experience limited physical activity, especially in the workplace, which increases their risk of inactivity. Further research is needed to address this gap. Objective To examine work-related moderate-intensity daily activity minutes among U.S. adults with arthritis compared to those without arthritis during 2017–2018. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 5552 participants in the 2017—2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted across all U.S. regions. Participants aged 18 and older were included and divided into groups with ( n = 1695) and without arthritis ( n = 3857). The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire measured work-related moderate-intensity daily activity minutes. Results The study found that 30.5% of participants had arthritis, reporting 28.7 fewer minutes of work-related moderate-intensity daily activity ( t = 17.9, p < 0.001) than individuals without arthritis. The fully adjusted multivariate regression model showed that the odds of fewer work-related moderate-intensity daily activity minutes were 1.25 times higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.51, p = 0.018) in adults with arthritis. Notably, the odds of fewer work-related activity minutes were higher among males (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04–1.45), non-Hispanic Blacks (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.04–1.69), college graduates (OR = 2.54, 95% CI = 1.92–3.36), and individuals with morbid obesity (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.01–1.79). Conclusion U.S. adults with arthritis—especially males, non-Hispanic Blacks, college graduates, and those with obesity—reported fewer work-related moderate-intensity daily activity minutes during 2017–2018.