Objective.: To report contemporary estimates of the prevalence of hip-related osteoarthritis (OA) outcomes in African Americans and Caucasians aged ≥ 45 years.Methods.: Weighted prevalence estimates and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals for hip symptoms, radiographic hip OA, symptomatic hip OA, and severe radiographic hip OA were calculated using SUDAAN® for age, race, and sex subgroups among 3068 participants (33% African Americans, 38% men) in the baseline examination (1991–97) of The Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, a population-based study of OA in North Carolina. Radiographic hip OA was defined as Kellgren-Lawrence radiographic grade ≥ 2, moderate/severe radiographic hip OA as grades 3 and 4, and symptomatic hip OA as hip symptoms in a hip with radiographic OA.Results.: Hip symptoms were present in 36%; 28% had radiographic hip OA; nearly 10% had symptomatic hip OA; and 2.5% had moderate/severe radiographic hip OA. Prevalence of all 4 outcomes was higher in older individuals; most outcomes were higher for women and African Americans.Conclusion.: African Americans in this population do not have a lower prevalence of hip-related OA outcomes as previous studies suggested. Increasing public and health system awareness of the relatively high prevalence of these outcomes, which can be disabling, may help to decrease their effects and ultimately prevent them.

Objective: Knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) are known risk factors for falls, but whether they together additionally contribute to falls risk is unknown. This study utilizes a biracial cohort of men and women to examine the influence of lower‐extremity OA burden on the risk for future falls.Methods: A longitudinal analysis was performed using data from 2 time points of a large cohort. The outcome of interest was falls at followup. Covariates included age, sex, race, body mass index, a history of prior falls, symptomatic OA of the hip and/or knee, a history of neurologic or pulmonary diseases, and current use of narcotic medications. Symptomatic OA was defined as patient‐reported symptoms and radiographic evidence of OA in the same joint. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine associations between covariates and falls at followup.Results: The odds of falling increased with an increasing number of lower‐extremity symptomatic OA joints: those with 1 joint had 53% higher odds, those with 2 joints had 74% higher odds, and those with 3–4 OA joints had 85% higher odds. When controlling for covariates, patients who had symptomatic knee or hip OA had an increased likelihood of falling (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.39, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.02–1.88 and aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.14–2.24, respectively).Conclusion: This study reveals the risk for falls increases with additional symptomatic OA lower‐extremity joints and confirms that symptomatic hip and knee OA are important risk factors for falls.