Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2023 Jul 30. doi: 10.1002/acr.25209. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine to what extent physical activity confounds the relation between race and the incidence of osteoarthritis (OA)-related functional limitation.
METHODS: Osteoarthritis Initiative study participants, with or at increased risk of knee OA, who wore an accelerometer were included. Race was self-reported. Average time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (minutes/day) based on ActiGraph uniaxial accelerometer data was assessed. Functional limitation was based on: 1) inability to achieve a community walking speed (1.2 m/s) standard; 2) slow walking speed (<1.0 m/s); and 3) low physical functioning based on Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) physical function score ≥28/68.
RESULTS: African Americans (AAs, n=226), compared to Whites (n=1348), had a higher likelihood of developing functional limitation based on various measures. When adjusted for time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, the association between AA race and inability to walk a community walking speed slightly decreased (from RR 2.15 [95% CI: 1.64-2.81] to 1.99 [95% CI: 1.51-2.61]). Association between AA race and other measures of functional limitation mildly decreased (slow walking speed: from RR 2.06 [95% CI: 1.40-3.01] to 1.82 [95% CI: 1.25-2.63]; low physical functioning: from RR 3.44 [95% CI: 1.96-6.03] to 3.10 [95% CI: 1.79-5.39]). When further adjusted for demographic and other clinical variables, only the association between race and low physical functioning (WOMAC) significantly decreased and no longer met statistical significance.
CONCLUSION: Greater physical activity is unlikely to completely make up for race differences in OA-related functional limitation, and other barriers to health equity need to be addressed. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID:37518677 | DOI:10.1002/acr.25209
