Article

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between baseline physical activity and
1-year functional performance in adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). DESIGN:
Prospective cohort study of knee OA development and progression with 1-year
follow-up. SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Osteoarthritis Initiative public
data on adults with knee OA (n=2274; age, 45-79y) who participated in functional
performance assessments (timed 20-m walk and chair stand test) at baseline and
1-year follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A good
1-year performance outcome (separately defined for walk time and chair stand
measures) was improvement from baseline quintile or maintenance in the best
quintile. RESULTS: Almost 2 in 5 persons with radiographic knee OA improved or
maintained high performance at 1 year. Physical activity measured by the Physical
Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) was significantly associated with good walk
rate and chair stand outcomes (odds ratio per 40 units PASE [95% confidence
interval]=1.13 [1.13, 1.17] and 1.10 [1.05, 1.15], respectively), as were
participation in sports/recreational activities (1.45 [1.23, 1.71] and 1.29
[1.09, 1.51], respectively) and lifestyle activities (1.11 [1.06, 1.16] and 1.09
[1.04, 1.14], respectively). An independent protective relationship for these
physical activity measures approached significance after adjusting for
sociodemographic and health factors. Older adults reported the least baseline
physical activity and least frequent good 1-year outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These
findings support public health recommendations to be physically active in order
to preserve function for persons with knee OA. Physical activity messages should
specifically target older adults whose low activity levels may jeopardize their
ability to maintain functional performance.

Langue : ANGLAIS