An Exploratory Study of Exergame Technology to Assess Pain, Physical Activity and Functional Mobility among Aging African-American and Caucasian Women with Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study is to characterize differences in physical activity, functional mobility, and pain among older non-Hispanic African-American and non-Hispanic Caucasian women with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: A novel intervention of Exergaming was studied to assess these differences. Mechanical pressure testing, self-report ratings, exercise activities, and total distance and time were measured to assess clinical pain, self-reported pain, physical activity, and functional mobility, respectively, among participants (N=43). Results: Findings from this pilot study showed that ethnic differences exist. African-American women (N=15) reported greater clinical pain at both baseline (1.31 ± 0.76 vs 2.01 ± 1.35) and post (1.18 ± 0.70 vs 1.80 ± 1.32) study; higher self-reported pain scores for Exergame activity (36.4 ± 25.5 vs 24.1 ± 21.6); more bodily pain and pain interference in the prior 4 weeks; and lower reports of weekly physical activity (57% vs 61%). However, enjoyability (80.0 ± 21.3 vs 68.8 ± 28.3) was greater among African-American women compared to Caucasian women (N=28) for the Exergame activity. Conclusion: These results suggest that ethnic differences in pain and physical activity were present in our sample, and that Exergaming may be a more effective intervention for reducing pain in aging women with knee OA compared to stationary cycling.