Defining and Measuring Behavior Change in Lifestyle Interventions for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Scoping Review Protocol

This scoping review aims to map the scientific literature on lifestyle interventions for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, focusing on whether these interventions are explicitly designed to promote behavior change in at least two lifestyle domains, such as physical activity, nutrition, sleep, stress management, substance use, and weight control. Although the use of lifestyle strategies in chronic pain management has increased, many interventions are labeled as “lifestyle-based” without clearly targeting behavioral modification. This review addresses this conceptual gap by identifying the characteristics, components, and outcomes of lifestyle interventions that meet behavior change criteria. The specific objectives are to: 1. Identify which lifestyle domains are most frequently addressed in interventions for chronic musculoskeletal pain. 2. Describe the measurement tools used to assess behavior change in these domains. 3. Map the behavior change strategies and theoretical models employed. 4. Evaluate the methodological quality of the studies (using the PEDro scale) and the quality of intervention reporting (using the TIDieR checklist). 5. Highlight conceptual and methodological gaps to inform future research and the development of training and clinical programs. This scoping review follows the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Screening and data extraction will be conducted independently by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by consensus. Data will be synthesized narratively, using structured tables and frequency summaries. No meta-analysis will be performed. This review is part of a broader research project aimed at developing and evaluating an asynchronous online training program for physical therapists on lifestyle interventions for chronic pain. The findings of this review (Phase 1B) will inform the structure and content of the training.