Application of social cognitive theory to physical activity behavior among adults with Crohn's disease

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Crohn’s disease (CD), which affects over 500,000 individuals with CD in the US, is a chronic and uniquely challenging condition that requires lifelong medications, major surgeries, and health promotion. Physical activity (PA) is an essential component of many chronic disease and surgical treatment programs, but the potential benefits of PA in CD are poorly understood as there has been a paucity of research in CD. Identifying factors that influence PA participation and the extent and intensity regular PA has a therapeutic effect (i.e., inflammatory biomarkers, mucosal healing) on disease activity in CD is important for developing effective PA interventions that can be translated to practice. Therefore, the primary objective of this research proposal is to examine the complex behavioral and biological correlates of PA in CD. This project seeks to compare PA rates between adults with CD and healthy controls (Aim 1) and examine the psychosocial and clinical influences on self-report and device-measured PA (Aims 2 and 3) in CD. The central hypothesis is that adults with CD who report lower levels of self-efficacy engage in less device-measured PA and more sedentary behavior than the general population, and that the relationship between PA and disease outcomes varies by both volume and pattern of PA behavior and the aspect of disease activity measured. The public health significance of this study lies in its potential to develop an improved, theoretically sound understanding of PA behavior in CD and the relationship between PA and disease activity. These findings could potentially result in better designed, more effective PA programs for adults with CD that ultimately have the potential to reduce healthcare costs associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. My ultimate career goal is to lead a collaborative research team that bridges the gap between evidence-based PA interventions and the translation of this evidence into clinical and community practice in the context of CD. To better prepare myself for a career as an independent investigator, I am seeking training in 4 major areas: 1) rigorous research in the CD field, including familiarity with CD clinical patient care; 2) multidisciplinary collaboration with clinicians and scientists; 3) translational research, including clinical trial design, statistical methods, and interpretation of results for clinical application and future intervention development; and 4) professional development, including principles of scientific integrity and responsible conduct of research. Training in these areas is integral to completing the research aims and providing me with a solid foundation for a successful career as an independent researcher.