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. 2017 Apr;37(4):469-478.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-017-3672-y. Epub 2017 Feb 25.

Physical activity and osteoarthritis: a consensus study to harmonise self-reporting methods of physical activity across international cohorts

L S Gates  1   2 , K M Leyland  1 , S Sheard  1 , K Jackson  1 , P Kelly  3 , L F Callahan  4 , R Pate  5 , E M Roos  6 , B Ainsworth  7 , C Cooper  1   8 , C Foster  9 , J L Newton  1 , M E Batt  10 , N K Arden  11   12
Affiliations

Physical activity and osteoarthritis: a consensus study to harmonise self-reporting methods of physical activity across international cohorts

L S Gates et al. Rheumatol Int. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is increasingly recognised as an important factor within studies of osteoarthritis (OA). However, subjective methods used to assess PA are highly variable and have not been developed for use within studies of OA, which creates difficulties when comparing and interpreting PA data in OA research. The aim of this study was, therefore, to gain expert agreement on the appropriate methods to harmonise PA data among existing population cohorts to enable the investigation of the association of PA and OA. The definition of PA in an OA context and methods of harmonization were established via an international expert consensus meeting and modified Delphi exercise using a geographically diverse committee selected on the basis of individual expertise in physical activity, exercise medicine, and OA. Agreement was met for all aims of study: (1) The use of Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) minutes per week (MET-min/week) as a method for harmonising PA variables among cohorts; (2) The determination of methods for treating missing components of MET-min/week calculation; a value will be produced from comparable activities within a representative cohort; (3) Exclusion of the domain of occupation from total MET-min/week; (4) The need for a specific measure of joint loading of an activity in addition to intensity and time, in studies of diseases, such as OA. This study has developed a systematic method to classify and harmonise PA in existing OA cohorts. It also provides minimum requirements for future studies intending to include subjective PA measures.

Keywords: Consensus; Metabolic equivalent of task; Osteoarthritis; Physical activity; Population cohorts.

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Conflict of interest statement

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Funding source

This study was funded by Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sport, Exercise and Osteoarthritis (Grant Ref. 20194).

Conflict of interest

B Ainsworth receives royalties from Taylor & Francis. C Cooper has received consultancy from Servier, Amgen, Novartis, Eli Lilly, Medtronic. N. Arden has received consultancy from Bioventus, Flexion, Freshfields, Merck, Nicox and Smith & Nephew and honoraria from Flexion and Merck. E Roos reports on and is deputy editor of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, is the developer of Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and is the founder of the Good Life with Osteoarthritis in Denmark (GLA:D) initiative to implement clinical guidelines in primary care. M. Batt, N. Arden, J Newton, K Jackson, L Gates, K Leylands institution has received a Centre of Excellence grant from Arthritis Research UK. L. Callahan, P. Kelly, R. Pate, S. Sheard, and C. Foster declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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