Lori Tucker, MD, FRCPC: A Cross-Sectional Description of Physical Activity (PA) in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA): The LEAP Study (Linking Exercise, Activity, and Pathophysiology in Canadian Children with Arthritis)

Poster Presenter: Lori Tucker, MD, FRCPC, Clinical Professor in Pediatrics and Division Head, Division of Rheumatology, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Canada

Poster Title: A Cross-Sectional Description of Physical Activity (PA) in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA): The LEAP Study (Linking Exercise, Activity, and Pathophysiology in Canadian Children with Arthritis)

Ignite Session 6A
Sunday, November 13 | 2:20–2:25 p.m. ET | Northern Liberties Stage
All ACR Convergence 2022 poster presentations are available on demand to registered meeting participants through October 31, 2023.

What is your poster about?
Our Canada-wide pediatric rheumatology research group has been studying physical activity of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and this poster shows the baseline results from our cohort.  We show descriptive data on physical activity, disease-related factors, and family-related factors, as well as associations of these factors with physical activity.

Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
From previous qualitative interview studies we’ve done, we know that the ability to participate in usual childhood physical activity is really important to kids with JIA and their parents. We learned a bit about barriers and facilitators to participating in physical activity. Our basic reason for investigating physical activity further is truly because it is something important to our patients and families. We also recognized that past work has not examined changes longitudinally, with treatment and disease activity change, and has not included some critical factors such as patient-reported pain and fatigue or family activity. In addition, we are fortunate to have collaborators on our study who will allow us to examine the interplay of JIA disease activity and physical activity with muscle strength and function, and bone strength and development. It is these aspects that make the LEAP study very special.

What are you working on next related to this research?
We are very excited to be working on the analysis of our longitudinal data set, including inflammatory markers, and bone and muscle parameters. This poster shows some interesting data that is helping us focus on our longitudinal data analysis. We are also beginning work on our knowledge translation activities, because the information we are learning is really important for pediatric rheumatologists, allied health clinicians, parents, teachers, coaches, and others to know, so we can promote improved physical activity for kids with JIA.

What excites you most about your work?
In no particular order of importance: The chance to change the trajectory for kids with JIA so they can be as active as they want, our fantastic Canadian pediatric rheumatology research group and how wonderful it is to work together with them, the potential for working with partners (organizations and others) to promote the importance of physical activity for kids with JIA, and the hope that others interested in this area come together to take the next steps in this research.