Arthritis and Minorities

By MC Kelby HERWriter

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According to the Arthritis Foundation’s Working with Diverse Populations Handbook, “An estimated 50 million adults (one in five or 22 percent) in the United States have reported that they were told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis. Of these, 21 million have arthritis-attributable activity limitations. Of adults 65 years or older, 50 percent reported an arthritis diagnosis.”

Arthritis is expensive. For example, the Foundation stated in the United States in 2003, arthritis and other rheumatic conditions accounted for the following costs:

• Total cost: $128 billion
• Direct costs (medical expenses): $80.8 billion dollars
• Indirect costs: $47 billion (lost earnings)

Arthritis pain cuts across all culture lines. Here is a breakdown of how arthritis affects minorities:

• 2.9 million Hispanic adults
• 4.6 million Non-Hispanic Blacks
• 667,000 Asian/Pacific Islanders
• 280,000 American Indians/Alaska Natives report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

Additional research verified that minorities more frequently suffer from the disabling effects of arthritis. The handbook stated, “even though they have the same or lower prevalence of arthritis, compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics had worse arthritis impact,” which included:

• Activity limitation (Hispanic 43.2 percent, Blacks 44.6 percent)
• Work limitation (Hispanic 39.7 percent, Blacks 41.6 percent)
• Severe Pain (Hispanic 36.4 percent, Blacks 38.3 percent)

What is terribly heartbreaking is the handbook also stated “more than one third of the Hispanic/Latino population does not have health insurance, and the Hispanic/Latino group is the largest segment of the approximately 43 million people in the United States who do not have insurance.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NAHH and the Arthritis Foundation recommend the following to manage your arthritis if you are a minority:

• Learn more. Find out about programs offered in your area and order free educational materials by visiting www.arthritis.org, www.arthritis.org/espanol/, www.hispanichealth.org/ and www.cdc.gov/arthritis/interventions.htm/

• Discover techniques to manage your arthritis. Learn how to manage the pain and challenges of arthritis by participating in the Arthritis Foundation’s Self-Help Program, offered in both English and Spanish. These techniques can lead to a 40 percent reduction in pain.

• See a health provider. Early diagnosis of arthritis is critical to its management and prevention of activity limitations. The Alliance offers a toll-free bilingual (Spanish and English) Su Familia National Hispanic Family Health Helpline (1-866-783-2645 or 1-866-SU-FAMILIA) where individuals can receive trusted health information and referral to health providers, including community health centers, in their community.

• Exercise. Low impact exercise, such as walking, reduces pain, improves function and quality of life, and can delay arthritis-related disability. For joint-safe exercise programs, try the Arthritis Foundation’s Life Improvement Series land or water exercise programs offered at more than 1,700 locations nationwide.

• Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight adds unnecessary stress to your joints. For every pound you lose, that’s four pounds of pressure taken off each knee.

The Alliance is supporting Hispanic families making movement a daily part of their lives and improving access to heatlhy food through their !Vive tu vida! Get Up! Get Moving! free event series. With over 50,000 attendees to date, it is the largest annual Hispanic family healthy lifestyle event series.

To learn more, visit www.getupgetmoving.org/ (English) or www.vivetuvida.org/ (Spanish).

References:

Hispanics and Arthritis. Arthritis Foundation | Symptoms Treatments | Prevention Tips | Pain Relief Advice. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from
http://www.arthritis.org/advocacy:hispanics.php

Working With Diverse Populations Handbook. The Arthritis Foundation. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from
http://www.arthritis.org/media/resources/DRG-Full-Text-Doc.pdf

Reviewed on July 16, 2012
by Maryann Gromisch, RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.