A cross-sectional study of physical activity attitudes and preferences of individuals with opioid use disorder

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a public health crisis. Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is an effective treatment for OUD; but even with MMT, treatment retention is poor, and relapse rates are high. Physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve retention and relapse rates among individuals in substance use disorder treatment. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore PA attitudes (i.e., barriers and benefits to PA, PA self-efficacy, PA-related affect), PA preferences, and self-reported PA among adults with OUD who were in MMT. A total of 60 adults (Mean age 35.7 [SD = 9.7]) were recruited from MMT clinics. The majority were male (51.7%) and White (71.75%). Participants indicated a high level of perceived benefits to PA, moderate level of perceived barriers to PA, moderate level of self-efficacy to overcome barriers to PA, and PA as enjoyable. PA preferences were identified and considerations for future PA intervention research in this population are discussed. These findings add to the limited body of research on PA attitudes and preferences in adults receiving MMT and suggest continued work in this area could inform tailored PA intervention design for this vulnerable population.