The Relationship Between Demographic Indicators and Occupational Factors, and Disability Severity in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease and the most prevalent form of joint inflammation, i.e., the most frequent cause of functional disability in the elderly. Among the multiple and predisposing factors influencing the disease are demographic indicators and occupational factors. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between age, pain severity, Body Mass Index (BMI), occupation and educational level, and the severity of functional disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This descriptive study was performed on 97 knee osteoarthritis patients referring to the Novin private physiotherapy clinic of Semnan University of Medical Sciences from April to March 2017. Moreover, the study samples were selected through simple non-probability sampling. Literate persons with the educational level of guidance school and above and knee osteoarthritis were included in the study. People with a history of inflammatory arthritis diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and soft tissue rheumatoid arthritis, such as fibromyalgia syndrome, bursitis, tendonitis, neurological, and vascular conditions of the lower extremity, mental health problems, and malignancy were excluded from the study. The data related to the variables, such as age, gender, occupation, history of osteoarthritis, pain intensity, involved side, level of education, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were collected through a self-report questionnaire. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Using SPSS, Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the study variables. Results: Spearman's correlation coefficients suggested no significant correlation between the KOOS scores and age, occupation, and educational level. The obtained results revealed a slight significant correlation between KOOS scores and BMI, as well as a significant correlation between KOOS scores and pain intensity by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (P<0.05) Conclusion: The severity of functional disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis based on KOOS questionnaire scores, was indicated to be correlated with pain severity; however, it was poorly associated with age and BMI. The present study results did not support a correlation between disability and occupation and educational level.