A consumer co-designed community physical activity program for Australians living with osteoarthritis (CASCADE-OA): A...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Public Health
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) significantly impacts physical function and quality of life.
• Evidence-based programs are needed to promote physical activity in OA management.
• The Walk with Ease Australia program is a co-designed intervention targeting OA patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the effectiveness of the Walk with Ease Australia program in increasing physical activity levels in individuals with osteoarthritis.
• To evaluate the impact of the intervention on pain, disability, quality of life, and self-efficacy.
• To assess implementation outcomes using the RE-AIM framework.

Main Methods:

• A two-arm parallel assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation design.
• Recruitment of 414 participants with knee or hip OA across Australia.
• Randomization to either the Walk with Ease Australia + Fitbit™ group or a Fitbit™ only comparator group for a 12-week intervention period, with 12-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Primary outcome: average daily step count at 12 weeks assessed by Fitbit™.
• Secondary outcomes: pain, disability, quality of life, self-efficacy, work absenteeism, and healthcare utilization.
• Implementation outcomes and process evaluation data will be collected.

Conclusions:

• The CASCADE-OA trial will provide crucial data on the efficacy of the Walk with Ease Australia program for community-based OA management.
• Findings will inform the integration of this program into standard care to enhance physical activity and symptom management in OA patients.