Work

Body mass index and health-related quality of life of outpatients with knee osteoarthritis: evidence from a cross-sectional study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: To estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of knee osteoarthritis outpatients in China overall and by body mass index (BMI), and to explore the factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. This was a cross-sectional study in which outpatients with knee osteoarthritis were recruited from three tertiary hospitals in China from June 2020 to May 2021. The EuroQoL five-dimensional instrument was used to measure HRQoL. Descriptive analysis, one-way analysis of variance, and a Tobit regression model were performed. One thousand and eight questionnaires were distributed, and nine hundred and fifty-two participants were included. The mean age was 61.71 years, and 61.03% of the participants were female. The mean health utility was 0.751 (95% CI 0.737, 0.765). The health utility varied significantly according to BMI: underweight = 0.627 (95% CI 0.536, 0.719), normal = 0.764 (95% CI 0.744, 0.784), overweight = 0.755 (95% CI 0.733, 0.776), and obese = 0.728 (95%CI 0.681, 0.776). Additionally, outpatients with knee osteoarthritis who were younger, had received treatment in the past six months, and had a disease duration shorter than 2 years had significantly higher HRQoL scores. The HRQoL of knee osteoarthritis outpatients was considerably impaired and was significantly associated with BMI. These findings emphasize the importance of weight examination and management in outpatients with knee osteoarthritis for healthcare providers. Supplementary data were provided for public health-related policies and health economics studies, contributing to the development of effective management strategies and increasing the breadth of knowledge of HRQoL in outpatients with knee osteoarthritis. There were 595 million people living with osteoarthritis globally in 2020, equal to 7.60% of the global population, with an increase of 132.20% in total cases since 1990. The knee was the most prevalent joint with a prevalence of 21.51% among people aged 40 years and older in China, while the weight has been proven to be an important modifiable risk factor for knee osteoarthritis. Considering the increasing cases of overweight/obesity in China and the great disease burden on individuals and the healthcare system, we estimated the effect of knee osteoarthritis on health and associated factors, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using health utility and the EQ-VAS scores. A total of 952 participants were included, the average health utility was 0.751, and the average EQ-VAS score was 70.37. Participants with a normal BMI were found to have the highest HRQoL, indicating the importance of managing weight in patients with knee osteoarthritis to improve HRQoL. Moreover, age, history of treatment and disease duration have been proven to be associated factors, which provides evidence for public health policymakers and health economic professionals. The findings of the present study increase the breadth of knowledge of HRQoL in individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Source: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

DOI: 10.1186/s12891-025-08432-2