Prevalence rates of self declared OA in the active population, aged 25–64, of respondents to the Quebec Health Survey
| Characteristic (% in all) | Prevalence rates (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Males (n = 5569) | Females (n = 4371) | ||
| *p<0.01, **p<0.001; χ2 test comparing the prevalence rate of OA in individuals who have the characteristic to the rate of those who do not (not shown). | |||
| †Occupations classified as having regular physical demand.11 | |||
| ‡Regular handling of persons or heavy objects such as lifting and carrying. | |||
| §Regular use of force with tools or machines. | |||
| ¶Regular repetitive motion of hands and arms at fast pace. | |||
| ††Regular exposure to vibrations from hand tools. | |||
| ‡‡Body mass index (kg/m2) ⩾27. | |||
| §§Current regular or occasional smokers, and ex-smokers. | |||
| Employed | (69.1) | 2.9%** | 4.4%** |
| Manual work† | (32.2) | 4.1%** | 3.8% |
| Heavy handling‡ | (16.2) | 3.0% | 5.7% |
| Force with tools§ | (16.8) | 3.8%* | 7.4%* |
| Repetitive motion¶ | (18.5) | 4.3%* | 3.5% |
| Vibrations†† | (8.4) | 4.4%* | 6.4% |
| Potential confounders | |||
| Excess weight‡‡ | (29.3) | 4.4%** | 5.9%* |
| Smoking§§ | (71.0) | 3.5%** | 4.8% |