On 11 October 2024, Arthritis Action published a new YouGov report, to understand the needs, issues and concerns of people of working age (aged 25-65) living with osteoarthritis, using new analysis of data gathered in 2022.
The report highlights the stark areas of concern for people, including relationships, work, family planning, and mental health.
People with osteoarthritis report a range of impacts from the condition, including impacts on physical activities, daily tasks and working lives. Generally, these impacts appear to be more pronounced among younger adults with arthritis, who were more likely to report that their ability to work, commute, maintain intimacy and make or keep social arrangements had been affected.
The results suggest that osteoarthritis and its associated pain can take a notable toll on mental health, and this is particularly the case for younger adults, who were more likely to report feeling depressed when their arthritis pain is at its worst.
Osteoarthritis can have implications on working lives, with around half reporting an impact on either their or their partner’s working life, such as having to give up work or take time off. Younger age groups are more likely to say they had to change the type of work they do or move to a different role within their organisation, while older adults were more likely to say they had to take early retirement.
Most with osteoarthritis have concerns about the impact of the condition, both currently and in the future, with common concerns including that the pain they experience from arthritis will get worse over time, or about the impact on leisure activities. Younger adults were more likely to have concerns about the impact of arthritis on various areas such as their parenting, personal relationships, financial situation/security, and recreational activities, when compared with their older counterparts. Those in the youngest age group (25 to 39) were also more likely than the middle age group (40 to 54) to have concerns about their ability to have and raise children or the impact of arthritis on their fertility, probably reflecting the higher likelihood of them still planning to have children in the future.
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