Association of obesity with osteoarthritis in elderly Korean women

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common sources of pain and disability among elderly people. Many genetic, demographic, and personal characteristics are involved in the risk of OA, of which obesity is one of the most important. This study evaluated the association between obesity and the prevalence of OA in elderly Korean women.

We recruited participants (n=3750) aged 50 years or older using stratified random sampling of Korean census blocks. Demographic and personal characteristics and a medical history of OA were collected from the participants by questionnaire.

We found that demographic variables, including age, education level, income, and personal characteristics (such as regular exercise), were important covariates associated with the prevalence of OA. In this study, body mass index (BMI) was an important demographic variable affecting the prevalence of OA. After adjusting for age, BMI was positively associated with the prevalence of OA [odds ratio (OR), obese vs. normal=2.15; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.82-2.54; p for trend <0.001]. This association persisted after adjusting for other demographic covariates (OR, obese vs. normal=2.09; 95% CI, 1.76-2.47; p for trend <0.001).

The results indicated that obesity and OA prevalence vary across groups with different demographic characteristics, and increased BMI was related to the risk of OA in elderly women.