Ab1611-HPR Adapted Physical Activity in the Practice of Moroccan Rheumatologists: A Multicenter National Survey

Background: Increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviors are major therapeutic interventions in inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD). Interventions targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviors can contribute to decrease pain, improve function and quality of life 1. Objectives: The objective of this study is to collect the perceptions and practices of Moroccan rheumatologists regarding the integration of adapted physical activity (APA) in the management of chronic inflammatory rheumatism (CIR) and analyze the factors associated with this integration. Methods: It is a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted among the community of Moroccan rheumatologists. 440 rheumatologists received a Google Forms questionnaire consisting of 16 questions divided into 3 sections: Sociodemographic data of Moroccan rheumatologists, their perceptions regarding the role of adapted physical activity (APA) in the non-pharmacological management of chronic inflammatory rheumatism (CIR), and their practices. A Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 was used to respond to the questions. Results: Among the 440 contacted rheumatologists, 132 rheumatologists (mean age of 44 ±12 years, 84.8% female, average years of practice 15.4 ± 12) responded to the survey (response rate of 30%). Rheumatologists consider that adapted physical activity (APA) is an integral part of the non-pharmacological management of chronic inflammatory rheumatism (CIR) in % of cases. The modalities of the integration of APA into the practice of Moroccan rheumatologists are presented in Table 1. No factor among the socio-demographic characteristics related to rheumatologists was significantly associated with the integration of Adapted Physical Activity (APA) in the management of Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases (RIC) by Moroccan rheumatologists. Conclusion: This work provides an overall overview of the integration of adapted physical activity (APA) in the practice of Moroccan rheumatologists, which appears to be quite satisfactory. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to focus on raising awareness and training rheumatologists on the dispensing methods of APA programs to be adopted in the management of chronic inflammatory rheumatism (CIR). REFERENCES: 1 Julie Soulard et al. Physical activity in inflammatory rheumatic disorders: Health trajectories and promotion of physical activity. Revue du Rhumatisme, May 2023 Volume 90, Issue 3, Pages 334-345. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.