Subtheme	Study	Direct participant data	Author description of data
Aetiology and prognosis of OA	Campbell 2001	"I was having trouble with my knees every so often it did hurt you know with one thing and another. Working in the construction industry there is a lot of lifting and a lot kneeling you see and I felt well I wonder if that's got anything to do with it…" p.135.	‐
	Hendry 2006	"It's caused by heavy work, always being on your feet or doing a lot of sport when young." p.56. "Being overweight has made my knee problem worse." p.56. "It's a vicious circle; you put on weight because you don't want to exercise when your knees hurt and then they hurt more because of the extra weight." p.56.	Some believed that their joint problems were a direct result of excessive sport or heavy manual work when younger. p.561.
	Hurley 2010	"I think it's just wear and tear. I think it's just accepted that you're going to get these things as you get older." p.5. "…I was very athletic when I was young, and you know yourself with the athletes the injuries they get affects them later in life." p.5. "…My daughters have trouble with their knee now as well, don't know if it's inheritance…my granddad suffered with it, my mother's troubled with it." p.5. "…Well as I say, I need to lose weight…Well I mean there must be a lot of pressure on my knees as well, because I am overweight." p.5 "…I hope not permanent." p.5. "…I think probably it might get worse because it has been getting worse over the years." p.5. "…I think, having to sit in one of those [wheelchairs]…I wouldn't want to do it, I don't want to get to that stage…" p.5. "…nothing will stop it getting worse I'm sure…if you have a replacement thing well alright that'll be alright but I mean otherwise they [his knees] just go on getting older…" p.5.	People were uncertain and bewildered about how, why and when their knee pain started. Most attributed knee pain to mechanical "wear and tear" of occupational, sporting and leisure physical activities, which led them to believe knee pain was an inevitable consequence of normal ageing. Some people tried to identify a specific incident as the start of their pain, but their recollection of the incident was often vague and they struggled to convince even themselves that this was the start of their problems. Frequently a familial predisposition for joint pain was mentioned with reference to a close relative, often female, who had "arthritis" or "rheumatism." p.3. People hoped rather than believed their symptoms would improve. They reasoned that joint damage was irreversible and likely to deteriorate without surgical correction. These beliefs arose from people linking the cause of joint pain to their biography, and the influence of other people's experiences and beliefs. p.6.
	Morden 2011	None reported.	A large number of participants described their knee pain as something unremarkable or related to ageing. p.193.