Running with rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study of Australian rheumatologists’ perceptions and recommendations

Objective: To explore how Australian rheumatologists perceive and recommend running for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, including their clinical experiences, observations and personal views.
Design: Qualitative exploratory study using semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using NVivo software.
Setting: Australia; interviews were conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams with participants joining from either clinical or home environments.
Participants: Thirteen practicing Australian rheumatologists recruited through purposive and snowball sampling.
Results: Five themes were identified from thematic analysis: (1) Perceived benefits of running, (2) Risks and clinical cautions, (3) Criteria required for discussing running, (4) Barriers to running and (4) Facilitators to running. Participants acknowledged various benefits of running for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis, such as improved mental health..., , # Running with rheumatoid arthritis: A qualitative study of Australian rheumatologists’ perceptions and recommendations

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.4b8gthts6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.4b8gthts6)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset was collected as part of an exploratory qualitative study investigating Australian rheumatologists’ perceptions of running in the context of rheumatoid arthritis management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 rheumatologists between March and May 2024. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework. The dataset includes the interview guide and a coded thematic summary of themes and participant perspectives (paraphrased, with participant IDs), which underpinned the analysis presented in the manuscript.
### Files and variables

#### File: Interview_Questions.pdf

**Description:** This file contains the semi-structured interview guide used to collect ..., All data included in this submission are qualitative interview transcripts from rheumatologists. Participants provided informed consent for their interviews to be used for research and publication. All transcripts have been fully deidentified prior to deposition: names, workplaces, and any potentially identifiable details have been removed or replaced with generic descriptors (e.g., “P1,” “2”). No personal identifiers remain in the dataset. The dataset therefore complies with Dryad’s human subjects data standards for publication.