Disparities in Knee Pain and Disability Among Historically Underserved Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis Participating in a Clinical Trial: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore differences in knee pain and disability between historically underserved and not historically underserved adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who were participating in a clinical trial. DESIGN: A secondary analysis was conducted using baseline data from a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating a telehealth physical therapy intervention of adults with knee OA. METHODS: Participants who were Black, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and/or Hispanic were classified as being historically underserved. Knee pain and disability were measured using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) on a 0-to-100 scale with lower scores representing worse health. We examined differences using linear regression models adjusted for participant characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 124 included participants, 13.7% were historically underserved. Historically underserved adults had worse KOOS pain (10.0; 95% CI: 2.3, 17.8) and worse KOOS activities of daily living (10.6; 95% CI: 2.5, 18.7) compared with not historically underserved adults, which met statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Historically underserved adults who were participating in a clinical trial for knee OA had worse baseline knee pain and disability compared to those not historically underserved. Historically underserved adults with knee OA may have worse pain and activities of daily living, and require adjusted interventions to target underlying impairments and treatment goals accordingly. JOSPT Open 2024;2(2):125-133. Epub 26 January 2024. doi: 10.2519/josptopen.2024.1131