Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal
Volume 27, Issue 1 , Pages 39-47, 2009

The Effects of a Community-based Water Exercise Programme on Health Outcomes for Chinese People With Rheumatic Disease

  • Lavinia K.Y. Wong, MSc

      Affiliations

    • Centre on Health and Wellness, The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, Hong Kong SAR, China
    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests and correspondence to: Lavinia K.Y. Wong, Centre on Health and Wellness, The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, G/F, 7 Rehab Path, Lam Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
    • ,
  • Rhonda J. Scudds, PhD

      Affiliations

    • School of Physical Therapy, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Received 19 June 2009; accepted 11 December 2009.

Article Outline

Abstract 

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a community-based water exercise programme (CBWEP) on physical disability, quality of life, and confidence in performing exercise for people with rheumatic disease. A multiple pretest, within-subject design was used. All subjects participated in a 4-week CBWEP followed by an 8-week maintenance period. Physical disability, pain intensity, quality of life, and level of confidence in performing the exercises were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire at baseline, pre-class, post-class, and at follow-up. Thirty-one subjects (30 female, 1 male) participated in the study. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference in pain intensity (p < 0.001) as well as in six domains of the SF-36 questionnaire: general health (p < 0.001), physical function (p = 0.001), role-physical (p = 0.001), role-emotional (p = 0.001), vitality (p < 0.001), and bodily pain (p = 0.006). There was also an improvement in confidence in performing the exercises (p < 0.001) and exercise participation at the end of the study. A CBWEP and continued maintenance classes may be beneficial for pain reduction and improvement in quality of life. These findings provided evidence for the value of this type of community exercise programme for people with rheumatic disease in Hong Kong.

Key words:  aquatic exercise , pain , quality of life , rheumatic disease

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 The results of this paper were presented at the WCPT International Congress, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 3 June 2007, Poster# 20–23.

PII: S1013-7025(10)70007-5

doi:10.1016/S1013-7025(10)70007-5

Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal
Volume 27, Issue 1 , Pages 39-47, 2009

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