Below you will find brief descriptions of our published research projects.
Losina E, Michl GL, Smith KC, Katz JN. A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Educational Intervention Using an Online Risk Calculator for Knee Osteoarthritis: Effect on Risk Perception. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 Oct 27. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 27788299. We completed a study aimed at establishing whether the OA risk calculator improves accuracy of risk perception and increased readiness to change behaviors that increase the risk of knee OA. We randomized participants to either education material or educational material and the online risk calculator. Those who used the risk calculator more accurately estimated their risk of developing OA, and their willingness to change exercise related behaviors increased after using the calculator.
Michl GL, Katz JN, Losina E. Risk and risk perception of knee osteoarthritis in the US: a population-based study. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2016 Apr;24(4):593-6. PMID 26555504. Although knee OA is traditionally associated with aging, it is increasingly diagnosed in younger adults, suggesting that prevention efforts should be directed to a younger population. Using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, we recruited a cohort of US adults aged 25-44 years with no history of knee OA and asked participants to estimate their risk of developing knee OA. We compared participants’ perceptions of knee OA development with their risks derived from an OA risk calculator (OA Risk C), an online tool built and validated by the OAPol Model. We found that knee OA risk factors are prevalent in a younger population and that persons consistently overestimate their risk of knee OA development. These data suggest a lack of knowledge about the timing and incidence of knee OA and offer insights for awareness and risk interventions for younger persons.
Losina E, Klara KM, Michl GM, Collins JE, Katz JN. Development and feasibility of a personalized, interactive risk calculator for knee osteoarthritis. BMC MSK. 2015; 16(312). PMID 26494421. Several factors are associated with knee osteoarthritis; however, these risk factors are not well known among those at risk for OA. Risk calculators have been developed for other chronic conditions but not for OA. Using estimates from the OAPol Model, we built an interactive, personalized, computer-based knee OA risk calculator (OA Risk C) and subsequently conducted a pilot study to evaluate its acceptability and feasibility. We found that our risk calculator was easy to use and depicted risk estimates in a clear and comprehensible fashion. OA Risk C could be used to estimate individual risks and deliver educational interventions focused on knee OA risk reduction.