A Focus on the Science of Behavior Change Would Provide a Deeper Understanding of Pain-Related Activity Interference and Ability to Sustain Engagement in Valued Physical Activities

Collecting physical, mental, and social health measures is vital for health care planning and delivery at the individual, population, and public health levels. Within the physical health domain, clinical research guidelines recommend the use of patient-reported outcomes and performance-based measures to assess physical function [1], yet many studies are susceptible to not implementing this strategic vision. One study pitfall is measurement ambiguity, that is, using pain interference as an inaccurate surrogate for physical function [2,3]. Although overlap exists, there is emerging evidence of a distinction between these constructs. A recent study of ours demonstrated that when measured over time, a person’s perceived impact of pain on engagement in activities (pain interference) showed no relationship to their ability to carry out activities that require physical actions (physical function) [4].