Leisure Expectations About Physical Activity Study

Consecutive patients, aged 45 years and older, who are scheduled for primary total hip or
knee arthroplasty due to osteoarthritis will be randomized to an intervention or control (no
intervention) group. All patients will be interviewed by telephone prior to the intervention,
by an interviewer blinded to group status, to collect data on current leisure activity and
expected activity at 6 months after surgery. Patients will also complete a questionnaire to
collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities (American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons Comorbidity Index), pain intensity (0-10 scale), health-related quality
of life (SF-12), hip-/knee-specific outcomes (Hip Dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome
Score/Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score), general expectations (Hospital for
Special Surgery Total Hip/Knee Replacement Expectations Surveys), and stage of readiness for
change.

All patients will receive usual medical care before surgery and visit the clinic to meet with
the surgeon and nurse/physician assistant, and undergo pre-operative laboratory testing.
Patients in the intervention group will also meet with a member of the research team to
complete a 10-item pre-test, to assess knowledge of the key concepts in the intervention, and
then be presented with a 20-minute slide presentation. The presentation will educate patients
on the: 1) definition of physical activity and its associated health benefits for the general
population and people with arthritis, (2) 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 3)
appropriate types of aerobic activities that patients should engage in after THA/TKA (e.g.,
no- or low-impact activities), (4) appropriate intensity level for activities after THA/TKA
(e.g., at least moderate intensity), (5) appropriate duration of participation in activities
(e.g., in increments of 10 or more minutes), and (6) the appropriate amount of activity per
week (e.g., ≥ 2.5 hours [150 minutes]).

Patients will then complete a satisfaction survey that will provide feedback on the content,
format, and length of the intervention, and a post-test to measure mastery of the
intervention material. The post-test will contain the same questions as the pre-test, but in
a different order. The control group will not meet with the research team during their
pre-operative visit. The control group will receive a written version of the intervention at
the end of the study.

All patients will be re-interviewed by telephone one week after their visit to reassess
leisure activity expectations. Data analyses will be conducted to determine: 1) the direction
and magnitude of change expected in leisure activity between baseline and 6 months, 2) the
change in the proportion of patients who expect to meet national physical activity guidelines
6 month after surgery, and 3) whether or not the intervention modified the type, frequency,
duration, or intensity of expected leisure activity from pre- to post-administration.

Inclusion Criteria:

- The study includes male or female patients, aged 45 years and older who are scheduled
for primary total hip or knee arthroplasty due to osteoarthritis.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients will be excluded from the study if the surgery is being performed for
diagnosis other than osteoarthritis.