Does a consumer co-designed infographic increase knowledge of physical activity after total knee joint replacement? A randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: To determine if a consumer co-designed infographic increased knowledge of physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise after total knee joint replacement surgery.

Methods: Forty-four adults with primary knee joint replacement surgery were recruited from a public and a private hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental or control group. The experimental group received a consumer co-designed infographic. All participants received usual care. Primary outcome measures were knowledge of physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise. Outcomes were administered at baseline, week 1 and week 6. Semi-structured interviews with experimental group participants explored the acceptability, implementation and efficacy of the infographic.

Results: There were no between-group differences for knowledge of physical activity at week 1 (MD -0.02 units, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.9) or week 6 (MD 0.01 units, 95% CI -0.9 to 0.9). Self-efficacy for exercise increased at week 1 (MD 14.2 units, 95% CI 2.9-25.4) but was not sustained. Qualitative data showed that the infographic was embraced by some participants but not by others.

Conclusions: A consumer co-designed infographic did not improve knowledge of physical activity but may have had a short-term positive effect on self-efficacy for exercise after knee joint replacement. Trial registration ACTRN12621000910808.