Association of Physical fitness, Cognitive function, Quality of life and Coping strategies in Elderly with Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Observational Study

·       Prior to the commencement of the study, an Ethical Clearance will be obtained by the Institutional Ethical Committee.

·       The participants will be selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria.

·       Subjects will be briefed about the purpose of the study.

·       A written informed consent will be taken from the participants and those consenting to participate in the study will be tested for physical fitness

 For E****ndurance by 2 min step test

The subject stands next to a wall, examiner marks the wall at level of knee-hip midpoint, subject march in place for 2 minutes lifting knees to the mark, resting and holding onto something is allowed. The times the right knee crosses the mark is calculated and the result for this test is obtained.

 For Upper limb flexibility by  Back scratch test

The subject is told to reach one hand behind the head, then back over the shoulder, reaching as down to the center of the back as possible and one hand from the lower end of the back as up as possible, both the middle fingers have to be centrally placed. The gap between the tips of the subject’s fingers should be measured. If the fingertips touch, the score is zero; if they don’t, find the difference between the tips of the fingers (negative); if they overlap, measure how much.

 For L****ower limb flexibility by  Chair sit and reach test

The subject is instructed to sit at the front edge of the chair, extend one leg, and place one hand on top of the other with fingertips reaching towards toe of the extended leg, keeping back straight and head up. The patient should try to touch their toes with their fingertips, the distance between the fingertips and toes has to be measured.

 For B****alance by Timed up and Go Test.

The TUG test records the time it takes a patient to rise from a chair, mobilize 3 meters[18] turn through 180 degrees, return to the chair and sit down, walking aids can be used if required.

 Cognition will be assessed by MONTREAL COGNITIVE ASSESMENT SCALE

The test  includes 12 sub-tasks that assess different cognitive domains, such as attention, memory, language, and orientation. The test is scored on a scale of 0–30 points, with a score of 26 or higher considered normal.

 Quality of life will be assessed by SF12 QUESTIONNAIRE

The SF-12 was developed by selecting 12 items of the SF-36 to have a short HRQoL questionnaire.

The SF-12 has two scores: the physical health component score (PCS) and the mental health component score (MCS). The PCS measures physical functioning, bodily pain, and general health. The MCS evaluates vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health. An individual’s total or composite score is determined by taking an average of the two scores.

BRIEF COPE QUESTIONNAIRE

Is a 28 item self-reporting questionnaire. Answers are divided into 4 options. Scores are presented as average scores by dividing sum of item scores by by number of items