With 64% of Canadian adults over the age of 18 considered overweight or obese, clinical professionals are challenged with balancing a patient’s need for surgical intervention of osteoarthritis (OA) with the associated increased risk for medical complications and poor surgical outcomes for those with obesity. Aligned with a 2017 provincial workshop on the topic of obesity and osteoarthritis, the Scientific Office of the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network (BJH SCN) prepared a White Paper in the same year sharing current evidence and informed discussions. Alongside this engagement, ABJHI supported three new research positions aimed at furthering arthritis evidence, made possible through the proceeds from the 2015 Music in Motion fundraising event and the Mitacs Accelerate program.
You’re invited to attend and participate in two upcoming webinars, facilitated by the BJH SCN, to learn about the researchers’ explorations into obesity and OA.
Living with OA and Obesity: Sharing patient stories through digital storytelling
Presenter: Elly Park, OT Reg (Alberta), PhD, Postdoctoral fellow, supported by Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine – University of Alberta, Mitacs Accelerate, Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute
Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Time: 4:30PM – 6:00PM MST
Description: Having obesity is a significant risk factor for developing OA. Yet, absent from OA research are the voices of patients living with obesity, who are receiving services for OA. Without hearing their perspectives, it is unclear how programs/treatments are received by patients and whether they feel included and informed in the decision- making process. In this webinar, Dr. Park will present findings from a recent research project that used digital storytelling to capture the experiences of patients living with advanced knee OA and obesity. Their perspectives provide insight into what patients expect and need from healthcare professionals and the healthcare system. Likewise, it offers experiential knowledge about living with OA and obesity to key stakeholders. Digital stories are short video stories, often with a specific focus. After presenting the stories, we will have some discussion and reflection to consider how patients’ stories can advance and enrich patient care.
Target Audience: Anyone involved in the BJH SCN or the Diabetes, Obesity and Nutrition Strategic Clinical Network who is interested in patient perspectives, obesity and OA, and/or digital storytelling will benefit from attending this webinar (including clinicians, physicians, policy makers, administrative personnel, and patients).
Implications and identification of sarcopenic obesity in adults with knee osteoarthritis
Presenter: Kristine Godziuk, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, supported by Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine – University of Alberta, Mitacs Accelerate, Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute
Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2019 (RESCHEDULED FROM NOVEMBER 4th)
Time: 4:30PM – 5:30 PM MDT
Description: Many patients who seek treatment for knee osteoarthritis also have obesity [defined using body mass index (BMI)]. However, obesity is more complex than BMI. Patients may have hidden but important differences in body composition that can affect their health and treatment outcomes, however this is missed when we consider BMI alone. This is the case with sarcopenic obesity. In this webinar, Dr. Godziuk will provide an overview of sarcopenic obesity in adults with knee osteoarthritis, including identification approaches, implications for patients, and potential treatment strategies. She will share results from her research examining this condition in adults referred for consideration of total knee arthroplasty, work that was supported by the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute and Mitacs Canada. This webinar will include an opportunity for questions, and a summary of future research planned in this area.