Chronic knee osteoarthritis: Relationships of body mass index and selected psychosocial factors among Nigerians.

BACKGROUND

Knee Osteoarthritis is the most commonly affected joint among Africans. There is a shred of preliminary evidence that a high body mass index (BMI) is associated with high kinesiophobia. Little is known about the relationships of psychosocial factors such as Kinesiophobia, Pain Catastrophizing (PC), Self-Efficacy (SE), and BMI among Nigerians with knee OA.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to determine the relationships between BMI and selected psychosocial factors (kinesiophobia, pain catastrophizing, and self-efficacy) among individuals with knee OA in Nigeria.

METHODS

Seventy-seven consecutively sampled patients diagnosed with knee OA from three selected public hospitals in Enugu, South-East Nigeria, participated in this cross-sectional survey. Brief Fear of Movement Scale for Osteoarthritis (BFMSO), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale-8 item (ASES-8 item) were used to assess Kinesiophobia, PC, and SE, respectively. Also, a stadiometer and weighing scale were used to determine height and weight respectively. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient at and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

Participants were aged years. Female participants had a higher BMI () than the males (). The mean scores for BMI of the right knee, left knee, and bilateral knees were , , and , respectively. Significant positive correlations were found between BMI and PC () whereas significant negative correlations existed between BMI and SE (). Significant predictive markers of BMI were PC () and SE ().

CONCLUSION

Body mass index, PC, and SE correlate significantly in individuals with knee OA. The results call for the routine integration of psychologically-informed physiotherapy practice in the management of knee OA.