2000-2010: The Bone and Joint Decade

Abstract

On January 13, 2000, The Bone and Joint Decade was formally launched at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. This comes on the heels of the November 30, 1999, endorsement of the initiative by the United Nations. The Bone and Joint Decade is a global campaign to improve the quality of life for people who have musculoskeletal conditions and to advance the understanding and treatment of these conditions through research, prevention, and education. The aims of the campaign are to raise awareness of the increasing societal impact of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders, to empower patients to participate in decisions about their care, to increase funding for prevention activities and research, and to promote cost-effective prevention and treatment. The Bone and Joint Decade has thus far been endorsed by fifteen nations, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Sweden, Brazil, Tanzania, and The Netherlands; by three states in the United States; and by more than 650 organizations worldwide. More than forty multidisciplinary National Action Network committees have been formed around the world to coordinate the activities of National Action Network member organizations. In his endorsement statement, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that The Bone and Joint Decade initiative appeals to governments worldwide to start taking action now and to work together with national and international organizations and health-care professionals in the prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders2. Health-care services worldwide will face severe financial pressures in the next ten to twenty years because of an escalation in the numbers of people affected by musculoskeletal diseases. Bone and joint disorders account for more than one-half of all chronic conditions in people older than fifty years of age in developed countries and are the most common cause of severe, long-term pain and disability3. In developing nations, …