title: Arthritis has an impact on the daily lives of Canadians young and old: results from a population-based survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a perception that the impacts of arthritis are greatest among older adults. However, the effect of age on health-related outcomes in individuals with arthritis has not been explicitly studied. This study examined whether the physical and mental health impacts of arthritis are greater in older (75+ years) versus younger (20-44, 45-64 and 65-74 years) Canadian adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from the arthritis component of the 2009 Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada. The responses were weighted to be representative of Canadians (≥20 years) with arthritis. Associations between age and the prevalence of severe/frequent joint pain, severe/frequent fatigue, sleep limitations, instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) limitations, high levels of stress, suboptimal general and suboptimal mental health, were examined descriptively prior to conducting multivariate log-binomial regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4565 respondents completed the survey (78% response rate). Individuals with arthritis were mostly female (63%), of working age (57%) and overweight or obese (67%). Upon adjusting for covariates, younger (20-44 years) and/or middle aged (45-64 years) adults were more likely than those older (75+ years) to report severe/frequent joint pain, sleep limitations, high levels of stress and suboptimal mental health. After adjusting for covariates, age was not associated with IADL limitations, severe/frequent fatigue or suboptimal general health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to the belief that older adults with arthritis experience more severe physical and mental health outcomes, we found that older adults were less likely to report worse outcomes than younger adults. In light of these findings, public health messaging should stress that arthritis does not just affect the elderly and emphasize the importance of timely diagnosis and management at all ages in order to prevent or, minimize arthritis-related impairment.
authors: Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. siobhan.odonnell@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: Siobhan
authors: S
authors: O'Donnell
authors: Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. corneliu.rusu@yahoo.com.
authors: Corneliu
authors: C
authors: Rusu
authors: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto School of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada. gillian.hawker@wchospital.ca.|Department of Medicine, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada. gillian.hawker@wchospital.ca.
authors: Gillian A
authors: GA
authors: Hawker
authors: Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada. sasha.bernatsky@mcgill.ca.|Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada. sasha.bernatsky@mcgill.ca.
authors: Sasha
authors: S
authors: Bernatsky
authors: Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada. louise.mcrae@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
authors: Louise
authors: L
authors: McRae
authors: Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit, Division of Health Care and Outcomes Research, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada. mcanizar@uhnres.utoronto.ca.
authors: Mayilee
authors: M
authors: Canizares
authors: Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit, Division of Health Care and Outcomes Research, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada. cmackay@uhnresearch.ca.
authors: Crystal
authors: C
authors: MacKay
authors: Arthritis Community Research and Evaluation Unit, Division of Health Care and Outcomes Research, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada. e.badley@utoronto.ca.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. e.badley@utoronto.ca.
authors: Elizabeth M
authors: EM
authors: Badley
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D055815:Young Adult