Abstract
BackgroundThe European Project on OSteoArthritis (EPOSA), here presented for the first time, is a collaborative study involving five European cohort studies on aging. This project focuses on the personal and societal burden and its determinants of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of the current report is to describe the purpose of the project, the post harmonization of the cross-national data and methodological challenges related to the harmonization processMethodsThe study includes data from cohort studies in five European countries (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom) on older community-dwelling persons aged ≥ 59 years. The study design and main characteristics of the five cohort studies are described. Post harmonization algorithms are developed by finding a "common denominator" to merge the datasets and weights are calculated to adjust for differences in age and sex distribution across the datasets.ResultsA harmonized database was developed, consisting of merged data from all participating countries. In total, 10107 persons are included in the harmonized dataset with a mean age of 72.8 years (SD 6.1). The female/male ratio is 53.3/46.7%. Some variables were difficult to harmonize due to differences in wording and categories, differences in classifications and absence of data in some countries. The post harmonization algorithms are described in detail in harmonization guidelines attached to this paper.ConclusionsThere was little evidence of agreement on the use of several core data collection instruments, in particular on the measurement of OA. The heterogeneity of OA definitions hampers comparing prevalence rates of OA, but other research questions can be investigated using high quality harmonized data. By publishing the harmonization guidelines, insight is given into (the interpretation of) all post harmonized data of the EPOSA study.
Highlights
The European Project on OSteoArthritis (EPOSA), here presented for the first time, is a collaborative study involving five European cohort studies on aging
The present paper provides a description of the cohorts included in the project, focuses on the post harmonization procedures to merge these cross-national data and describes the methodological challenges encountered in the process of harmonization
Note that the years of baseline in European Project on Osteoarthritis (EPOSA) differ across the cohorts
Summary
The European Project on OSteoArthritis (EPOSA), here presented for the first time, is a collaborative study involving five European cohort studies on aging. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a process or condition affecting the joint cartilage and subchondral bone and is frequently accompanied by pain, stiffness, disability and radiographic changes [1]. It is the most common cause of chronic pain in older persons and the leading cause and these studies may underestimate the actual prevalence rates [7]. The European Project on Osteoarthritis (EPOSA) studies the personal and societal burden and its determinants of OA in the aging European population using data from five population-based cohort studies across Europe. Population-based studies are important as they provide data on the burden of the disease in terms of prevalence and impact on quality of life and health status, offering insight into the need for health care and prevention strategies
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