Relationship among Pain, Physical Function, Quality Of Life and Selected Anthropometric Measures in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is estimated to be the most common cause of disability and affect quality of life, with accompanying pain as the most frequent problem.
Objectives: Hence, the need to assess the relationship among pain, physical function, quality of life, body mass index and waist to hip ratio in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.
Method: This cross-sectional survey involved two hundred participants recruited from physiotherapy clinic in selected health facilities in Lagos and Ogun States through a convenience sampling technique. Socio-demographic data were obtained by the use of self administered questionnaires while anthropometric measures were by measurements. Ibadan Knee/Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Measure (IKHOAM) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Bref (WHOQoLBref) were employed to obtain physical function and quality of life scores respectively while pain was measured using the visual analogue scale. Descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentages were used to summarize the demographic and physical characteristics while inferential statistics of Pearson product moment coefficient was used to test the relationship among variables. Alpha level was set at p<0.05.
Results: The age of the participants ranged from 32-88 years with a mean of 57.09± 9.85 years. There was a significant positive correlation between physical function and quality of life (p=0.001) but significant negative correlation was observed between pain and quality of life (p=0.001).There was no significant relationship between physical function; BMI and WHR (p> 0.05).
Conclusion: Significant relationship exists between, physical function and quality of life. There was a relationship between pain and quality of life and also physical function and some selected arthropometric measures among Nigerians with knee osteoarthritis.

Keywords: Knee Osteoarthritis, pain, Physical function, Quality of life, Body mass index, Waist to hip ratio.