Social and Behavioral Factors in Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty

Social and behavioral factors are important determinants of health outcomes in a number of medical conditions but their role in joint arthroplasty is poorly understood. In a cohort of 20,124 hip and knee arthroplasty procedures, smoking was associated with a significantly higher risk of surgical site infections (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1–2.6), whereas alcohol use was associated with a lower risk of reoperations and revisions (hazard ratio 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5–0.8). There was no association between marital status and educational attainment with the risk of complications or reoperations in total hip and knee arthroplasty.