Article

The aim of the study was to explore if the impact of
osteoarthritis varies with respect to age, gender and social deprivation. Impact
was defined as impairment, activity limitations and participation restriction
(International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)).
Investigating the functioning of the ICF model for subgroups is important both
practically and theoretically. METHOD: The sample comprised a community sample of
763 people diagnosed with osteoarthritis. Uncontaminated measures of the ICF
constructs were developed using discriminant content validity from a pool of 134
items, including the WOMAC and SF-36. Multigroup Structural Equation Modelling
was used to explore if the same pathways exist for subgroups of gender, age and
social deprivation. RESULTS: Different significant paths were found for gender
and social deprivation: impairment did not predict participation restriction for
women and those most deprived, whereas these paths were significant for men and
those less deprived. No difference in the paths was found for age. CONCLUSIONS:
The impact of osteoarthritis appears to vary with respect to gender and social
deprivation but not age. This suggests both that osteoarthritis per se does not
adequately explain the health outcomes observed and that different clinical
approaches may be appropriate for people of different gender and levels of
deprivation. Implications of Rehabilitation The ICF model appears to vary with
respect to gender and social deprivation for people with osteoarthritis. The ICF
model did not appear to vary with respect to age for people with osteoarthritis.
Different treatments and interventions for osteoarthritis may need to be targeted
for specific gender and social deprivation groups.

Langue : ANGLAIS