Investigation of factors influencing low physical activity levels in community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Low levels of physical activity in individuals with chronic pain can lead to additional functional impairment and disability. This study aims to investigate the predictors of low physical activity levels in individuals with chronic pain with and to determine the accuracy of the artificial neural network used to analyze these predictors. Community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain (n = 103) were surveyed for their physical activity level and classified into low, moderate, or high physical activity level groups. Other measures that influence physical activity were also taken at the same time. Logistic regression analysis and multilayer perceptron analysis, an artificial neural network, were used for the analysis. Both analyses revealed that history of falls was a predictor of low levels of physical activity in community-dwelling older adults. Multilayer perceptron analysis showed excellent accuracy. Our data emphasize the importance of fall prevention in improving the physical activity level of community-dwelling older adults with chronic pain. We suggest that future cross-sectional studies should compare multiple analysis methods to show results with improved accuracy.