Disability

Area of Science:

• Sociomedical sciences
• Public health
• Rheumatology

Background:

• Defining and measuring physical, mental, and social disability is crucial for public health research.
• Arthritis, particularly osteoarthritis, significantly impacts individuals and society, necessitating robust research methodologies.
• Existing measurement tools for disability in general health surveys and arthritis research require evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a sociomedical scheme for disability research.
• To describe and evaluate methods for measuring physical and social disability in arthritis research.
• To review the empirical literature on the links between arthritis, impairment, and disability.

Main Methods:

• Review of sociomedical schemes for disability research.
• Evaluation of measurement tools used in general health surveys and arthritis research.
• Synthesis of empirical literature on arthritis, impairment, and disability.

Main Results:

• Distinction between societal and individual impacts of arthritis.
• Assessment of the public health importance of arthritis relative to other chronic conditions.
• Identification of theoretical and measurement issues in studying disability related to rheumatic diseases.

Conclusions:

• A sociomedical framework is presented for understanding and researching disability.
• Measurement of physical and social disability in arthritis requires careful evaluation and refinement.
• The findings are broadly applicable to rheumatic diseases, with a focus on osteoarthritis due to its prevalence.