Physical activity in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease: a Danish population-based repeated cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Existing evidence indicates that physical activity confers health benefits. Nevertheless, the extent of physical activity engagement among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear. This study aims to quantify physical activity levels and identify socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with physical activity levels in adults diagnosed with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) in comparison to those without IBD. METHODS: We included 212,893 participants from the Danish general population who responded to the Danish Capital Region Health Surveys during 2007 to 2021. The population included 2314 individuals with prevalent IBD. Information on physical activity was obtained from self-reported questionnaires and sociodemographic information was obtained from nationwide registers. Data were weighted for survey design and analysed by multiple regression analyses adjusted for sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: The proportion engaging in light, moderate, or high intensity physical activity was lower among participants with CD (80.2%) and UC (83.2%) compared to the non-IBD population (85.6%), even after adjusting the odds ratio (CD: aOR = 0.83; 95% CI 0.80-0.85, UC: aOR = 0.92; 95% CI 0.89-0.95). The severity of IBD accounted for much of this association. Other factors influencing physical activity were similar among participants with and without CD and UC, with the exceptions of gender and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Persons living with IBD, especially those with moderate to severe CD, have lower physical activity levels compared to non-IBD individuals. We identified specific factors associated with lower physical activity that can guide the development of interventions for promoting physical activity in persons with IBD.