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.