Prevention of OA through community prevention, education, physical activity, and other programs

Our current health care system is poorly suited to engage individuals of all ages in prevention and chronic disease management. Therefore, public health interventions are critically important to changing the course of disabling chronic disease in our population. Osteoarthritis of the lower limbs, marked by pain, stiffness and swelling, is the leading cause of mobility disability in older adults in the United States and the prevalence is increasing. The pathophysiology of the disease remains poorly understood and there is no cure. The fee for service medical system frequently overlooks osteoarthritis prevention and care until disability has progressed to where surgery is the preferred treatment. Obesity is the greatest modifiable risk factor.

If obesity rates returned to levels seen decade ago, an estimated 100,000 knee replacements would be prevented annually. In 2010, stakeholders led by the Center for Disease Control and the Arthritis Foundation, issued a National Public Health Agenda for Osteoarthritis. The public health agenda outlines a four-component model: education and disease self-management, physical activity, injury prevention and weight management to address this burgeoning public health problem. Implementation of these interconnected components proves to be challenging.

This presentation will examine primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in osteoarthritis through the lens of the public health agenda and will outline opportunities for prevention of osteoarthritis across the lifespan. Interdisciplinary and community-based programs that are prevention-focused, with an emphasis on lifestyle and behavioral modification to decrease the risk of osteoarthritis and other chronic diseases will be highlighted.