RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Racial Differences in Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: Potential Contribution of Occupational and Household Tasks
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 337
OP 344
DO 10.3899/jrheum.110040
VO 39
IS 2
A1 KELLI D. ALLEN
A1 JIU-CHIUAN CHEN
A1 LEIGH F. CALLAHAN
A1 YVONNE M. GOLIGHTLY
A1 CHARLES G. HELMICK
A1 JORDAN B. RENNER
A1 TODD A. SCHWARTZ
A1 JOANNE M. JORDAN
YR 2012
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/2/337.abstract
AB Objective. We examined whether occupational and household tasks contributed to differences in pain between African Americans and whites with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. Participants from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project self-reported the frequency (often/always vs never/seldom/sometimes) of performing 9 occupational tasks involving lower extremity joint loading at their longest job (N = 868) and current job (N = 273), as well as 8 household tasks ever performed (N = 811) and currently being performed (N = 767). The associations of the numbers of occupational or household tasks with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale were first examined in simple linear regression models. If significantly associated with greater pain, each of these was included in adjusted linear regression models to examine whether the association of race with pain remained statistically significant. Results. African Americans reported significantly greater WOMAC pain scores than whites. Exposures to more occupational tasks at the longest job and the current job were associated with greater WOMAC pain scores (p < 0.01). The association of race with greater pain scores remained statistically significant when controlling for occupational tasks at the longest job, but was reduced by 26% and no longer significant when controlling for the number of current occupational tasks. Exposures to an increasing number of household tasks were associated with lower pain scores and were not further analyzed. Conclusion. Current performance of physically demanding occupational tasks contributed to racial differences in pain severity among individuals with knee OA. Better workplace policies to accommodate OA-related limitations may help to reduce racial differences in pain.