Among employed adults with FM, symptom severity alone did not appear to distinguish those who engaged in regular exercise from those who did not; instead, modifiable workplace and environmental barriers were indicated as key factors influencing exercise participation.
Key Findings
Results
The prevalence of formal fibromyalgia diagnosis among employees surveyed was 4.0%.
42 out of 1044 total participants reported a formal FM diagnosis.
The survey was conducted across nine large employers with more than 100 employees each.
Participants represented diverse occupational roles.
Results
Employees with FM reported significantly greater pain, fatigue, emotional stress, and poorer sleep compared to employees without FM.
All between-group comparisons for pain, fatigue, emotional stress, and sleep quality were statistically significant (all p < 0.01).
Employees with FM were also older than those without FM.
Comparisons were made between 42 FM participants and the remaining non-FM employees.
Results
Rates of regular exercise did not differ significantly between employees with FM and those without FM.
40.5% of FM employees reported regular exercise participation (≥3 sessions/week) compared to 36.8% of non-FM employees.
The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.38).
This finding held despite the greater symptom burden reported by the FM group.
Results
Within the FM group, exercisers and non-exercisers showed minimal observable differences in symptom severity.
The within-group analysis compared FM employees who exercised regularly versus those who did not.
Symptom severity measures did not meaningfully distinguish FM exercisers from FM non-exercisers.
This suggests symptom burden alone was not a primary determinant of exercise participation within the FM group.
Results
Employees with FM reported shorter exercise session durations and identified sleep disruption, fatigue, and work-related demands as prominent barriers to exercise.
Sleep disruption, fatigue, and work-related demands were specifically identified as key barriers within the FM group.
FM employees reported shorter durations per exercise session compared to non-FM employees.
These barriers were characterized as modifiable workplace and environmental factors.
Methods
The study design was cross-sectional and based on self-reported data from a workplace survey.
Data collection included self-reported FM diagnosis, exercise participation (≥3 sessions/week), perceived exercise barriers, sleep duration, and job-related stress.
The study was conducted across nine large employers (>100 employees) representing diverse occupational roles.
Parpa K. (2026). Barriers to Exercise Participation in Individuals with Fibromyalgia in a Workplace Setting.. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania). https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina62020354