Replacing stationary time or light physical activity with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity is associated with improved metabolic health in adults with or at risk of knee osteoarthritis.

Authors

Carson Halliwell, Molly Courish, Rebecca Moyer, Myles W O'Brien

Published in

Clinical rheumatology. Jun 25, 2026. Epub Jun 25, 2026.

Abstract

Individuals with knee osteoarthritis are at an increased risk of poor metabolic health. We tested if cross-sectionally replacing stationary time with light or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity would be associated with lower odds of type 2 diabetes mellitus, abdominal circumference, and body mass index (BMI) in individuals with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis.
Participants (n = 1660, 55%female) from the Osteoarthritis Initiative were included. Physical activity was assessed using hip-worn accelerometers. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was self-reported and abdominal circumference and BMI were measured. Isotemporal substitution modeling estimated the impact of replacing stationary time with light or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on metabolic health. Models were adjusted for age, sex, and radiographic knee osteoarthritis severity.
The mean age was 65 ± 9 years, and 74% had at least one metabolic deficit. Individuals spent 591 ± 89.2, 280 ± 77.1 and 18.5 ± 19.4 min/day in stationary, light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, respectively. Replacing 10-min per day of stationary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower odds of type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR = 0.80, p < 0.001), reduced abdominal circumference (β =  - 1.26, p < 0.001) and BMI (β =  - 0.45, p < 0.001). Similar results were observed when substituting light activity with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Replacing stationary time with light activity was not associated with any outcomes (p > 0.030).
These cross-sectional findings suggest that higher levels of MVPA are associated with more favorable metabolic profiles among individuals with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. Key Points • Replacing 10 min/day of stationary time with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with lower odds of type 2 diabetes, and reductions in BMI and abdominal circumference in individuals with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis • Substituting light physical activity for stationary time had minimal impact on metabolic health, highlighting the importance of activity intensity • Even modest, achievable changes (e.g., ~ 10 min/day of MVPA, such as brisk walking) were theoretically associated with improved metabolic health in individuals with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis.

PMID:
42348130
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Jun 2026.

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