Pump priming the Change OsteoArthritis Narrative Initiative (COAN). A global call to action to reduce the burden of osteoarthritis worldwide.

Approximately 528 million people have osteoarthritis worldwide, and the burden of this condition is increasing. Inequity, disability and distress are fuelled by outdated perceptions that osteoarthritis is inevitable, will get worse and can only be fixed by surgery. Urgent, global, collaborative action is needed to change how society thinks, talks about and treats this condition. Widespread narrative change will promote joint health and empower people around the world to live well with osteoarthritis. In 2023 we formed the Change OsteoArthritis Narrative Initiative (COAN), a new network comprising 70 members (clinicians, researchers, people with lived experience) from 11 countries. We published an article identifying individual, health service and societal actions (called a framework) to achieve widespread osteoarthritis narrative change. Representing the next phase of COAN, this networking grant aims to: 1. Establish a COAN steering committee 2. Create Communities of Practice in five countries to discuss local priorities related to the COAN framework for action. 3. Conduct online and in-person workshops to develop a roadmap to inform future COAN activities and research grants. This networking grant will: • Foster new interdisciplinary and cross-cultural knowledge and skills exchange through steering committee discussions and stakeholder engagement. • Strengthen global osteoarthritis capability through building capacity and relationships. • Raise the profile of COAN, share learning about research priorities with the international osteoarthritis research community, scope international funding opportunities and plan grant submissions. These outcomes will pump-prime COAN research activities and pave the pathway to reduced osteoarthritis burden through global narrative change.