Objective:

To identify the perception of physical activity among women with rheumatoid arthritis in the city of Popayan, Colombia.

Methodology:

A study proposed from two approaches: qualitative, with a phenomenological design, which used observation and semi-structured in-depth interview as information collection techniques; from the quantitative approach, the design was descriptive of a cross-sectional cohort, in which a sociodemographic characterization and some anthropometric parameters were carried out, resulting in measures of central tendency and dispersion. The study included the participation of 17 women with an average age of 48.07 years old.

Results:

The study population, which belonged mostly to stratum 2 and 3, presented a tendency to be overweight. In relation to the qualitative part, four categories were evidenced: a) the reminder of the doctor and the physiotherapist to do physical activity; b) exercise vs physical and functional complications; c) knowledge of the real needs of users by gyms and trainers; d) the abandonment of physical activity because of inadequate practice.

Conclusions:

The tendency to be overweight is a characteristic risk factor for the population, which, based on the inflammatory component of RA, can be classified as a population that requires intervention from physical activity but from recreational and playful approaches that promote adherence to physical activity with the linking of other areas of knowledge.

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