Musculoskeletal disorders as determinants of disability in Finns aged 30 years or more

doi:10.1016/0895-4356(93)90128-N

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology

Volume 46, Issue 6, June 1993, Pages 549-559

https://doi.org/10.1016/0895-4356(93)90128-N Get rights and content

Abstract

The relationship between disability and various musculoskeletal disorders was investigated in 7217 men and women representative of the Finnish population aged 30 years or more. They participated in the Mini-Finland Health Survey and were first screened by interview and questionnaire about limitations in daily activities. The outcome variables were reduced working capacity, an occasional need for assistance in daily activities, and a regular need for assistance in daily activities. In a two-phase medical examination, all cases fulfilling predetermined diagnostic criteria of musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and mental disorders and diabetes were recorded independently.

In multivariate logistic regression analyses, inflammatory arthritis was the strongest determinant of all forms of disability. Osteoarthritis, especially in the hip, was a strong determinant of both occasional and regular need for assistance, and chronic low back pain was a strong determinant of reduced working capacity and occasional need for assistance among those aged 30–64 years. Other musculoskeletal disorders also determined the prevalence disability, but these relationships were reduced by taking comorbidity into account.

A low level of education and a low (less than 20 kg/m²) or very high (at least 35 kg/m²) body mass index represented independent determinants of all forms of disability, and a history of physically strenuous work an independent determinant of reduced working capacity, when disabling illness was adjusted for.

The proportion of all forms of disability attributable to musculoskeletal disorders, in models including, age, sex, other disabling illness and significant non-medical determinants of disability, was close to 20%. The disorders with the highest community impact were chronic low back pain among those aged 30–64, osteoarthritis of the hips and knees and inflammatory arthritis.

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Original articleMusculoskeletal disorders as determinants of disability in Finns aged 30 years or more

Abstract

J Chron Dis

J Chron Dis

J Chron Dis

J Clin Epidemiol

J Clin Epidemiol

J Chron Dis

International classification of impairments, disabilities and handicaps

Epidemiology of musculoskeletal impairments and associated disability

Am J Public Health

A socio-medical approach to disablement

A new clinical model for the treatment of low-back pain

Spine

Defining arthritis and measuring functional status in elders: Methodological issues in the study of disease and physical disability

Am J Public Health

Rheumatic complaints in an urban population

Ann Rheum Dis

Prevalence of Chronic Skin and Musculoskeletal Conditions, United States, 1976

Epidemiologic aspects of disability from rheumatic disease

Substantial work disability and earnings losses in individuals less than age 65 with osteoarthritis: comparisons with rheumatoid arthritis

J Clin Epidemiol

Impairment and disability

Predictors of healthy aging: Prospective evidence from the Alameda County Study

Am J Public Health

Framingham Disability Study: Relationship of disability to cardiovascular risk factors among persons free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease

Am J Epidemiol

Shoulder disorders in the elderly (a hospital study)

Ann Rheum Dis

Disorders of the shoulder: an often unrecognised cause of disability in elderly people

Br Med J

Prevalence, determinants and consequences of chronic neck pain in Finland

Am J Epidemiol

An epidemiological appraisal of disablement. Recent advances in community medicine I

Original article
Musculoskeletal disorders as determinants of disability in Finns aged 30 years or more