Awareness of Osteoarthritis among Housewives of Pakistan

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common articular disorder that causes chronic disability because of the progressive resorption of bone and cartilage and results in joint failure specifically in elder population. Its incident rate varies according to region and ethnicity. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 191 housewives belonging to Lahore,Islamabad and other major cities of Pakistan in 2017 to assess the awareness level of OA. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire that included personal details of participants, their awareness about osteoarthritis, its causes, treatment, and its effects. Then, data were analyzed by using SPSS and appropriate statistical tests like Chi-squaredfor different variables. Almost 40% of the population sample belonged to 30-40 years of age group. Overall, about 39% participants had awarenessabout various aspects of OA and 57% individual had the awareness about the general information of OA. Awareness about factors affecting the OA condition was the lowest, only 24% individuals had the self-awareness about this. In this study, there was no significant association between the aspects about the awareness of OA with different age groups. Most housewives of Lahore and other areas of Pakistan had poor to moderate awareness of OA. Proper awareness of OA will result in the better understanding of promising management modalities for the treatment of OA.