Trajectories and Influencing Factors of Self‐Management Behaviour in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Longitudinal Study

AIM: To explore the trajectory of self-management behaviour and its influencing factors in patients with knee osteoarthritis. DESIGN: This is a prospective, longitudinal observational study. METHODS: From January 2024 to April 2024, 126 patients with knee osteoarthritis who were hospitalized in two tertiary-level hospitals in Hunan Province were selected to be surveyed on the day of discharge, 1 month after discharge and 3 months after discharge using the Chinese version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Research Measurement Scale. The trajectories of self-management behaviours were performed using latent category growth analysis. The influencing factors were performed using Lasso regression. RESULTS: Two classes were identified, including 'slow decline class' (37.1%) and 'significant decline class' (62.9%). Age, education, history of knee surgery and number of other chronic diseases combined were significant factors. Finally, older patients were more likely to be in the 'significant decline group' and patients with a history of knee surgery were more likely to be in the 'slow decline group'. CONCLUSION: We reported the existence of heterogeneity in self-management trajectories in patients with KOA and found that younger age and history of knee surgery were significantly associated with slow decline class trajectories. Further studies are needed to test the generalizability of these identified self-management trajectories in patients with KOA and their association with psychosocial aspects. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND PATIENT CARE: To identify the trajectory of self-management behaviours of patients with KOA and explore their influencing factors, to provide reference for healthcare professionals to formulate targeted intervention programmes, so as to prevent the recurrence of knee osteoarthritis and delay the course of the disease. REPORTING METHOD: STROBE checklist was followed. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: The authors would specially thank all the participants in this study.