Physical Activity Tracking for End-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis Patients Seeking Joint Replacement Surgery

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the relationships between physical activity levels (in terms of step counts and sedentary behaviors) and patient-specific characteristics in a population of end-stage knee osteoarthritis patients awaiting knee arthroplasty through the development of custom data processing tools implemented in a clinical population study. Step counts were found to be significantly lower in individuals with a higher body mass index and those with lower self-reported physical activity levels. Time spent sedentary was found to be significantly higher in females, individuals with a higher body mass index, and those with lower self-reported physical activity levels. A visual tool was developed for the representation of temporal physical activity intensity in the clinical study population. The utility of the developed visual tool was explored through a series of three case studies on individuals from the clinical study population with similar summary physical activity metrics.