Preferences for lifestyle changes in people with chronic back pain

This survey is being conducted by BFH and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). The aim is to evaluate the preferences of people who are overweight or obese and suffer from chronic back pain.

Factsheet

Situation

Lifestyle interventions that promote a healthy diet and regular exercise, among other things, are becoming increasingly important in medicine. They are already being used in various disciplines such as endocrinology and psychiatry. In recent years, they have become more and more relevant in orthopaedics. This type of therapy is also recommended for people who are overweight or obese and suffer from knee osteoarthritis or back pain, for example. For people to benefit from this type of therapy in the long term, it is important to include them in the design of the therapies. In this way, therapies can be adapted to their preferences and wishes in the future.

Course of action

A discrete choice experiment is conducted web-based throughout Switzerland in German. All data will be collected anonymously. Participants will repeatedly have to choose between 2 predefined therapies or neither of them.

Looking ahead

With the help of the information collected through the choices of the corresponding therapies, the preferences of the participants can be determined. The results of this study are important with regard to a) The design of lifestyle interventions for people with overweight or obesity and chronic back pain in the future. b) The interpretation of ongoing studies in this area.

This project contributes to the following SDGs

  • 3: Good health and well-being