Physical Activity. The Arthritis Pain Reliever.

Physical Activity. The Arthritis Pain Reliever is a health communications campaign for general use by state health departments, their partners, and other community organizations.

The campaign was developed to promote physical activity as a method of arthritis self-management and is based on extensive audience research. Physical activity can have an important impact and beneficial effect on arthritis pain and associated disability. The campaign was revised in 2010.

Goals of the campaign are to

• Raise awareness of physical activity as a way to manage arthritis pain and increase function.
• Increase understanding of how to use physical activity (types and duration) to ease arthritis symptoms and prevent further disability.
• Enhance the confidence of persons with arthritis that they can be physically active.
• Increase trial of physical activity behaviors.

The target audience for the campaign includes men and women with arthritis, physician-diagnosed or self-diagnosed, who have the following characteristics:

• African American or Caucasian.
• Ages 45 to 64 years.*
• Education level less than college graduate.
• Income less than $75,000 a year.
• Arthritis that has begun to or threatens to have negative impact on valued life roles.

*see the FAQ page for information about the campaign and adults older than age 65.