Self-management of osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent activity-limiting condition among older persons. In addition to, or instead of, taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, people use a variety of activities to manage their osteoarthritis. This study describes the self-management methods reported by 61 participants aged 60 years or older assessed on two occasions 8 months apart. A questionnaire was developed to assess levels of use of 10 self-management methods including low-impact activity, rest, range-of-motion exercises, relaxation, heat (or cold), taking medication, joint protection, massage, splints, and any other activity. On a typical day, participants used about four of these activities to manage osteoarthritis symptoms, and significantly more on a day that their arthritis was worse than usual. Three self-management scales were formed from groups of activities suggested by factor analysis (medication taking, typical management, and worse-day passive management) that demonstrated adequate internal consistency and stability across the two assessments. The findings are discussed in terms of the importance of developing a brief measure of osteoarthritis self-management, and the substantial individual variation in subsets of methods used.
Hampson
S E
SE
Glasgow
R E
RE
Zeiss
A M
AM
Birskovich
S F
SF
Foster
L
L
Lines
A
A
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000628:therapy*; D012646:Self Administration; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents