Physical activity and sedentary behavior patterns in adults with Crohn’s disease versus matched controls: accelerometer and self-report findings

Abstract Background Physical activity is a promising complementary, non-invasive strategy for managing Crohn’s disease, but habitual physical activity remains poorly understood and even less is known about sedentary behavior in this population. Aims To compare physical activity and sedentary behavior volume and patterns among adults with Crohn’s disease versus demographically matched controls. Methods Participants ( N = 79; 38 Crohn’s disease, 41 controls) completed the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for 7 days. Primary analysis included 32 matched pairs; sensitivity analyses used all participants and only those with ≥ 4 valid accelerometer wear days. MANOVAs assessed group differences in physical activity and sedentary behavior volume (self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, accelerometer-measured minutes/day in light physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sedentary time, steps) and pattern (accelerometer-measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary bout frequency and duration). Results Primary multivariate analyses revealed no significant group effect for overall activity volume (Wilks’ Λ = .72, p = .09) or pattern (Wilks’ Λ = .71, p = .22), including when both were modeled simultaneously (Wilks’ Λ = .61, p = .42). However, secondary and sensitivity analyses indicated Crohn’s disease participants spent less total time sedentary (≈50 min/day) and engaged in fewer sedentary breaks ( p ’s < .05). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions Adults with Crohn’s disease were not uniformly less active than controls, but secondary and sensitivity analyses suggested possible differences in sedentary behavior profiles. These findings support personalized physical activity recommendations for Crohn’s disease and might support interventions emphasizing frequent movement and sitting-time interruption rather than solely increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.